


Devil In Me

by mythicalmonochrome



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Alternate Universe - Psychiatric Hospital, Angst, Blood and Violence, Dark!Link, Dom/sub Undertones, Explicit Sexual Content, M/M, Masochism, Mental Health Issues, Past Abuse, Personality Disorders, Psychological Horror, Psychopathology & Sociopathy, Sadism, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn, Unhealthy Relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-11
Updated: 2018-05-23
Packaged: 2019-04-21 00:19:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 39,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14272737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mythicalmonochrome/pseuds/mythicalmonochrome
Summary: Rhett had never been one to question the demons inside his head. Until one day, he did.And Link was to blame.





	1. Sedated

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys. Time for another serial fic! I was honestly a bit nervous about writing this at first. But with lots of love and motivation from my friends, I was able to make this idea a reality. You guys are honestly the best.
> 
> Please read the tags. There are particularly dark and heavy subjects that are covered in this. Rhett and Link are both patients at a psychiatric hospital and GMM does not exist in this AU. 
> 
> Official concept art can be found [here](http://jannelle-o.tumblr.com/post/172965742878/commission-i-did-for-mythicalmonochrome-thank)!

There were days when Rhett thought he’d never get out of there, when he forgot about time lapsing by, forgot his age, forgot everything around him as it all seemed to bleed together. 

Every day was exactly the same. Always the same.

It had been a while since he’d been brought to the hospital. The days came and went, and he wasn’t sure how much time had passed. It could have been a year; it could have been ten. 

The world, or rather his small one, had become a very different place. His nights meant visions of horror, and his days meant his heart beating into his throat at the sound of footsteps passing by. He lost more of himself with each day that passed, a piece of his former life eaten away by his own fears and thoughts. 

He was alone, always alone. Always looking at everyone with those eyes, mossy green flecked with shades of blue. 

Always listening.

But everyone ignored him. 

Maybe it didn’t matter anymore; maybe it had never mattered. He had nothing left of himself, the poor soul of a man found in his home cradling his mother's lifeless body, sobbing and clinging to her like a child. He was a man who had been sent from hospital to hospital and finally ended up there, in that lonely place, far away from anyone he could hurt.

He only hoped, without conviction, that he would find something he liked about the place, something to put him at ease, but that something never came. 

The only thing familiar to him was a dark little room he called home. 

He was trapped there, flooded with silence. 

The only light in his room came from a small sliver of sun through the barred windows, the only noise the footsteps pacing back and forth along the blindingly bright hallway beyond his closed door.

His room reminded him of a cell, barren aside from the padded mattress on a box spring, and a wooden bookcase. The room had been specifically altered to cater to his state - stripped bare of nearly all belongings - and felt as if it was getting smaller and smaller as the days passed by, enclosing him in the hell he had created for himself. 

Both waking and sleeping hours were filled with him screaming, crying, and staying quiet. The silence was relentless and he was suffocated by it every day. The only thing he could think about was the desire to stay silent. 

However, he would be the first to admit he had never been one to talk about his problems. 

Even now, as he sat on the soft padding of his bed and stared at the barren white walls, nothing would register in his mind. The life outside seemed unknown to him. He’d been there for forever it seemed, each day bleeding together with the next. 

The nurses allowed him to have pencil and paper in his room, encouraging him to keep a diary of his thoughts and feelings. He could show it to the doctor, they explained.

He held the pencil in his hand, trying to understand why they even cared to know so much about him. He had nothing to give them, nothing to offer. Rhett despised all of them, the doctors, the nurses, each and every last one of them. They all thought they knew everything about him, how his mind worked and what he needed to get better, but in the end, they knew nothing. 

He was desperate to get out. He couldn’t deal with another moment living here. But disappointment was an old friend of his, one who kept him company in the prison of his own mind and poisoned him to the point of being physically sick.

Rhett threw the pencil hard against the ground, running his hands through his thick, unruly hair. He tugged at the sleeves of his scrubs, the faded blue blending with the walls of the room. 

His eyes glared across the room, wincing when the evening sun reflected against the empty white of the hospital walls.

Everything around him felt completely lifeless and empty. 

Void of color. Just like everything else, monochromatic shades of black and white. 

His head turned toward the door upon hearing a click and the door sliding open. He stared unwelcomingly at the orderly and nurse that entered the room, all smiles and false hope. 

“Good evening, Rhett. Are you ready to see Dr. Beck? Let’s go, sweetie,” the nurse spoke softly to Rhett, enticing him without waiting for a response to her apparently rhetorical inquiry.

Rhett bit hard into his bottom lip before rising to his feet. The orderly placed a rough hand on Rhett’s forearm and yanked him toward the door, closing it behind them as they headed down the hall. He moved willingly; was the force really necessary? 

He could hear the soft cries and whines of the other patients echoing from their own rooms, all of them sedated or drugged; it was truly a sad life for them to live.

Rhett tripped over his feet a bit as the orderly pulled him forward, and he heard a soft chuckle as he struggled to make it down the hallway.

His head only lifted again when he heard the footsteps of another patient coming down the hall. 

A second orderly in the opposite direction was holding the arm of a man, who Rhett had never seen around before. He had to have been a new patient.

He had features that Rhett could make out perfectly. He had thick, inky-grey hair, that shone in the overhead light and swooped back from his forehead, and pale blue eyes, deep set and hooded. He wore a pair of black, horn-rimmed glasses and his lips were spread into a grin, making his eyes close in blissful happiness. The man let out a grunt as he jerked his body and struggled with the orderly before he was slammed hard against the wall. His laugh echoed down the hallway, deep and resounding, and his head smashed hard against the surface. 

Rhett stopped dead in his tracks, feeling his heart hammer in his chest, threatening to burst from his ribcage, as the man’s cerulean orbs glossed over him. They were overpowering, full of vitality. 

He couldn’t take his eyes off of the stranger even as the orderly began to pull at him to continue on their path. The ashy-haired man whipped his head around and his captivating eyes turned Rhett’s curiosity to complete fear.

The nurse rolled her eyes and looked at the orderly holding the man against the wall.

“Take him back to his room!” The nurse spat, making the orderly nod in agreement and harshly grab the man away from the wall. Rhett’s gaze remained locked with the stranger’s own, those pale eyes glinting with mischief as he flashed him a grin.

It was a short-lived moment, a quick lapse in time, yet it seemed to go on for eternity. With it came a color that filled his monochromatic vision, one that would remain forever etched in his brain. 

Blue.  


* * *

Dr. Beck stepped into the dim room, two large members of staff waiting on the other side of the door just in case Rhett became uncooperative. She sat on the right side of the small wooden desk, the ceiling lamp casting shadows around her temples, her pale skin glowing in contrast. She opened the files which she had thrown out on the table to give them a better look.

She was one of the kinder members of staff at the hospital, but was only available for Rhett’s appointments in the evenings and early in the morning, busy making rounds with the other staff throughout the day. Her face always bore a sweet smile and her dark eyes were deep with warmth. Her chestnut brown hair was brushed delicately away from her face and she wore a pair of thick-rimmed glasses. 

Rhett sat in her office in the reclined chair, watching her nimble fingers flip through his file to refresh her memory on anything important that may have happened to Rhett in the past week. He continued to study her, analyzing each articulate move, from the way her brow furrowed over particular details to how she would tap her fingernails against the hardwood desk. 

Every so often she would mumble to herself and bite her lip, as though wanting to rid the words that came to mind from coming out. She ran a hand through her thick hair and darted her eyes back up to Rhett, giving him a soft smile.

“How are you feeling today, Rhett?” She asked, pulling out a pad of paper to take note of anything important he said, any thoughts about what he was feeling. 

Rhett always wondered what she really thought of him, what she said about him behind closed doors. She probably pitied him, just like she did the rest of the patients. Or maybe she feared him. Rhett’s lips curved into an empty smile, analyzing his movements as he tried to detect any signs of negative emotion.

“I’ve been good,” he mumbled, leaning back in the chair. Dr. Beck smiled and nodded her head before writing something down on the notepad. The sound of the pen scribbling against paper grated Rhett’s ears the same way the slow ticking of the clock did. 

“Have you still been having the dreams?”

“I... yes, I have,” Rhett admitted, lowering his head.

“Have you been trying to make new friends? You’ve been here for quite some time… longer than most patients. I know they can help you when you’re feeling sad. Everyone could always use some company,” she suggested. Rhett rolled his eyes at her remark. 

“I’m fine. I don’t need to make friends,” he spat, making her smile turn into a scowl as she scratched something else down on the notepad again. 

Rhett was beginning to grow frustrated. He knew this would turn into just another excuse to tack on a new medication or force him into more group therapy sessions. Heat prickled against his skin and his heart throbbed in his chest, anger bubbling up inside of him. 

“Rhett, this is a part of your treatment plan. It’ll be good for you to get to know some of the others. You’ve been here for years - ” _years?_ “ - you can’t stay inside your shell forever,” she suggested. “It’ll be a good chance to try and get you to open yourself up more,” she finished, her gentle voice filling the quiet air in the room. Rhett stared at her blankly, shaking his head in disagreement.

He was perfectly fine being alone. His one and only wish was to leave this place, but he couldn’t see that happening any time soon. He thought about it for a moment, trying to control his anger. 

He didn’t want to be sent away to their seclusion area again. The last time he was sent there, he’d tried to attack one of the nurses.

They usually dealt with patients like Rhett by drugging him, telling him that he was going to be fine and treating him like a filthy animal. He’d been sedated or tied to the bed many times, yet never knew what exactly what it was he was doing wrong. 

Nobody cared about him. 

They never did.

He was just another broken man to be kept locked away and to be forced to keep living. 

He brought his attention back to Dr. Beck as she tapped her fingernails gently on her desk, taking note of her movements before lifting his head back up to her.

“Do you understand me, Rhett?” She asked as Rhett felt her intense look bore holes into his skull.

Rhett nodded his head in agreement, and for extra measures, flashed a cheeky smile. The grin that twisted his lips was too wide and his teeth dug into the inside of his cheek. He hoped that would be enough for her to get off his case. He wanted to make it seem like he was getting better so he wouldn’t have to come back.

Her head drew back at the sight of Rhett’s smile, wincing as though uncomfortable to see it. Rhett let out a small laugh, knowing just how to get under her skin. 

“Okay, that’s great,” she said, clicking the pen with her thumb to scribble more down on her notepad before ripping out the page. She slid it into Rhett’s file and closed the manila folder shut. Turning her head back toward Rhett, she cleared her throat and met his gaze again, appearing relieved that Rhett was no longer smiling.

“I hope to see you make progress soon. The sooner you complete your therapy, the sooner you can leave and start your life over. We will complete your evaluation at the end of this year, and if all goes well I’ll sign for your release.” She smiled sweetly, a glint of hope in her eyes. The exchange almost felt like a routine for Rhett. He’d been there so long, and nothing ever changed. He’d heard those same words from her every year, but they were just wishful thinking. 

Her smile suggested that the session was nearly over, always putting on the same face every time it was ready to go. The sessions usually lasted much longer than that, but she knew wasn’t going to get much out of him today. She got up from her chair to retrieve the orderly and take him back to his room. 

Before leaving, Rhett saw Dr. Beck with a soft smile on her face, waving goodbye as he was walked back to his room.

* * *

Rhett had always hated taking showers here. He hated the way the staff pushed him around as if he were a ragdoll, pulling or shoving him closer to the water whenever they pleased. The patients weren’t allowed to shower by themselves or with the doors closed. It was an obvious invasion of privacy. 

The warm water trickled down his back and the scent of sterile chemicals and soap filled the steamy air while the orderlies watched and helped when needed. They made him bathe and take long, cool showers, told him where and how to clean himself, because he had to be clean, he had to learn to not be a filthy animal in their eyes. 

But when he’d ask the orderly how to clean himself, he’d end up pushed against the wall, pain rippling down his spine, and felt like drowning in the water and drowning in it. 

In the end, he always ended up cleaning himself thoroughly. His fingers would gently ring through his hair and he would relax his muscles. He’d rub small circles up his back as the soap coated his skin and sank down the drain.

The routine was the same each day. After showers, the patients were dressed in freshly laundered clothes, and were sent off to the dining hall. 

Rhett’s messy, wet hair matted to his forehead, slick against his skin, and a shudder ran up his spine when the cool air hit him whilst walking down the hallway in an orderly line with the other patients.

Standing there, Rhett held his tray and waited for his turn in line; he always felt self-conscious around the other patients. In his own mind, he knew there was nothing wrong with him, and that there was no common ground with other people here.

He took a quick glance toward the tired-eyed workers who were waiting to serve everyone and scowled at the sight of the sloppily made food he was being served. A piece of chicken, a variety of different vegetables, and something that resembled mashed potatoes. 

He found an empty spot in the corner of the hall and lifted his head to register his surroundings. As always, the orderlies were there, watching and waiting.

Rhett let out a deep sigh and dropped his silverware on the table, folding his arms together.

He felt a sudden tap on his shoulder. “Rhett, eat,” one of the orderlies demanded with a stern voice.

Rhett’s apathetic look quickly turned into a frown as he furrowed his brows. He grabbed his silverware again and took a spoonful of the mushy food, wincing when the taste reached his taste buds. His stomach always seemed to disagree with anything it was given from this place due to his lack of appetite. He watched as the staff member turned their head in the other direction, and grabbed a napkin to spit his food out. 

He continued to scrape the spoon along his plate and push the food around, reluctant to take another bite before he noticed a pair of feet sweeping across the floor and entering his field of vision. Rhett lifted his head and saw him again. 

The same man from earlier, making his way across the room to find a seat. 

Rhett stared at him intently, lips parting slightly, drinking in the sight. Ashy, unkempt hair was tousled about in every direction on his head. He had broad shoulders, a lean build, and he was fairly tall, but still several inches shorter than Rhett. 

The shorter man turned his head in Rhett’s direction, and when his icy eyes met with Rhett’s, it sent a shiver down Rhett’s spine. 

A dark and empty smile curled on the man’s lips, but Rhett didn’t return it, instead giving him an almost pained look in return. Rhett didn’t know what he was smiling about exactly; there certainly wasn’t anything to be happy about in this existence. 

His eyes were so intense that Rhett wanted to look away, but something kept him from averting his attention. He was immediately drawn to this man, like a switch had flipped inside him. The pale-eyed stranger took one last glance at Rhett before finding a seat at an empty table. 

He was very calculated and articulate with his movements, it was clear in the way he moved that he had practiced using his reflexes, and he was very animated with his hands. Rhett looked back down at his food but could still feel the man’s eyes searing holes into his skull.

The man finally averted his attention back to his meal, tearing through it. He used the sleeve of his shirt to clean runny food from his mouth, resembling something similar to a feral animal. He glared at Rhett once more before looking back down at his plate. 

After dinner ended, Rhett and the man engaged in extended staring contests at group therapy. It was as if they were trying to get into each other’s heads without using words. The man didn’t speak to anyone the entire time, remaining completely silent. Rhett stared aimlessly, slumped back in his chair as he listened to the other patients complain about nonsense. He leaned his head against the wall, studying the emotionless faces of each person.

He could see the dark haired man staring at him from across the room again. He raked his eyes down Rhett’s body, and it made Rhett more uncomfortable than he would have liked to feel, so he brought his legs up to his knees as if trying to hide himself away. The man was searching for something, mirroring Rhett’s movements. 

A small grin swept across the man’s face, and the evening sun shone through the barred window of the small room, casting light across his face. His eyes were even brighter beneath the sun’s rays and Rhett felt the burning intensity of his glare, one that displayed a strong sense of power. When Rhett got caught in his eternal gaze, it was like everyone around them disappeared. Time slowed to a crawl, and it was as if the man was channeling Rhett, daring him to react to him; enticing him. 

After their session was over, Rhett was dragged back to his room by a more than aggressive orderly and thrown inside, and with that, all of the doors were closed for the evening.

Rhett tossed and turned in his bed for the remainder of the night, trying to close his eyes every so often, hoping he would fall asleep eventually. He wanted this exhausting night to be over and to be brought into the new day, but he remained wide awake.

Late into the night, after several hours passed, Rhett heard an unusual noise coming from the corner of the room. He closed his eyes to focus on the sound, listening intently. His eyes flickered open again when he heard the faint sound of paper being pushed across the floor. 

He stood up, following the source of the noise. It was too dark to make out his surroundings except for the small sliver of moonlight coming from outside.

The paper was pushed by his bed, crumpled up next to his feet. 

Rhett picked the paper off the floor and stood by the window, hands perched on the sill. The moonlight shone through the window, and he studied the words on the note, over and over, before his lips parted and his low voice filled the room. His voice, as he whispered the words from the note, was confused and suspicious all at once. 

_Pretty boy.  
What’s your name?_

He crumpled the paper back up and put it on top of the bookshelf, then headed straight back to his bed. He sat on the edge of the mattress, and his eyes widened again with realization. 

There was no way it could be. 

With a tense shrug, Rhett laid back into his bed and closed his eyes, trying to focus on the feeling of warm bedsheets, of gentle slumber. Rhett was on his back, quietly listening to every distant sound and silent creak outside of his room, until he finally let sleep overtake him.


	2. Sleepless Nights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rhett discovers another letter addressed to him in the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fair warning, this entire chapter is just really creepy, I was creeped out myself just writing it. There is a brief scene featuring some subtle themes of somnophilia. Sorry again.

The morning sun crept up over the windowsill, casting a soft gleam of light and a splash of color from the sky across Rhett’s face. His eyes flickered open, and he finally woke up somewhere between the late hours of the night and the early hours of dawn. 

Breakfast would be starting soon, and it was best for him to get up and dressed in the freshly laundered scrubs that were set outside his door each morning. As he stretched his legs and lifted from the bed, it came to mind that he had never given a response to the letter the night before. 

He wasn’t sure who had sent it to him and hadn’t put much thought it into it so late at night when he was desperate to get some sleep, but now, he was more than curious. His head shifted around as he searched the room, trying to determine if there were any openings where the note could have easily slipped in, but he was dumbfounded. 

He could only assume whoever sent it must have pushed it under the slot beneath his door. Speaking of which, he walked towards his door and slid it open to see that, just as expected, a fresh new pair of clothes had been left neatly folded near the wall. 

He picked them up to take them back into his room when he heard the faint sound of crinkling paper inside the folded scrubs. He unraveled the shirt to find another wadded up note. He unfolded it, noticing the eerily similar handwriting to the note he’d received yesterday. 

Definitely from the same person.

_What’s wrong, pretty boy? Didn’t want to talk to me last night? That’s too bad._

 _I’m in the room right across of you, in case you were wondering._

_You should write me back._

It almost read like a demand rather than a statement. Rhett felt obligated to go ahead and respond to the stranger even with the slightly uncomfortable feeling in the back of his mind. The entire situation still had his curiosity peaked. He didn’t know if they were awake, but it was better late than never. He pulled out his notepad and scribbled something down. Simple enough.

_Who are you?_

As Rhett ripped the note from the spirals and folded it neatly, he slid open the front door of his room and took a quick cursory glance of the area to ensure no staff members were around. He inched forward towards the room in front of him. 

There weren’t many employees working this early in the morning, but it was still best to take plenty of precautions. He knew he had to get in and out quickly or he would get caught, keeping a watchful eye as he stood in front of the stranger's door. 

He knelt down and pushed the note quietly through the slot beneath the door, before shifting to stand and hurrying back to his own room, closing the door behind him. He stared intently at the ground, waiting. The room was filled with a silence almost deafening to Rhett’s ears. Impatiently, he rested his head against the cold surface of the door and pressed his ear against it, anticipating the sound of feet across the floor or perhaps the same familiar noise of paper being pushed beneath the door. 

Sure enough, he soon heard the noise he had been waiting for; paper being slid across the floor. He bent down to pick up the note and inched back towards the wall, hastily opening the letter to read what was scribbled down, out loud. 

_My name is Link._

“Link…” Rhett repeated to himself. This only confirmed his thoughts that it was indeed a man sending him these worded exchanges. 

Rhett read the letter over and over, unsure of where to go from there. 

Should he introduce himself? Who was this person exactly? What did they want from him? 

He didn’t feel uneasy introducing himself to a stranger and almost felt like something was enticing, or rather, provoking him to do so, like a curious aura bleeding through the walls separating him from the outside world. He knew the stranger was waiting for him; he’d heard their door close shortly after the note had made its way into his room. He ripped another page from his notepad, and carefully etched something down with the pencil.

_I’m Rhett._

_What do you want from me exactly?_

Rhett wasn’t interested in playing a game of back and forth anymore, and he hoped he got that message across. Just like before, he snuck across the small hallway that divided the two rooms and slid it past the barrier beneath the door. Once he was back in his own room, he watched carefully and shifted to his knees, crouching on the ground. A few minutes later, Rhett’s head shot up and his eyes widened in curiosity as another note slipped beneath the door. He swiped it from the floor before it had even finished being pushed through, almost ripping it half. 

Maybe he was a little bit too impatient. 

He flipped the folded paper open, reading the strangers message once more. 

_I want you to open your door. ___

Rhett lifted his head back up in confusion, starting to question the stranger's intentions. What if he got caught? He certainly wasn’t ready to deal with whatever repercussions came with that. Still, that eerie feeling of the unknown only enticed him further. He knelt back up and shuffled forward toward his door, slowly sliding it open a few inches, enough to see the hallway in front of him as his eyes peered through the crack. 

Rhett felt his heart pounding out of his chest, and all the blood fall from his face when his eyes finally met those of the stranger. A shadowy figure with bright, deep-set eyes and a pair of black-framed glasses came into his field of vision first, then the man’s face and his stubble-covered jaw, with a wide smile spread across his lips. Rhett could see him in full view, and it finally confirmed his initial thoughts. 

It was him. 

The same man he had seen so many times the day before, the one he’d shared an eternal staring contest with, and now Rhett finally had a name to match a face. 

Before he could give further thought to the situation, he heard the familiar sound of footsteps approaching down the hall. He swiftly shut the door and stumbled backward, picking up the excess notes and ripping them up. If the staff members found out they were passing notes and communicating with each other like that, he wasn’t sure what consequence would come of it, and he wasn’t eager to find out. 

Something was drawing him to this man, however, this man who peaked his interest so intently it almost burned inside of his chest, with an aura of power that muddled deep inside his brain.

He took the ripped shreds and hid them underneath his mattress before the door slid open. The morning nurse had arrived, a sweet smile on her face, alongside an orderly who directed Rhett out of his room and away from Link. Rhett’s mind blanked out almost immediately as the nurse spoke to him about the day’s plans; it was the weekend, and Rhett wasn’t scheduled for any appointments, group or solo, so that meant another day alone. He dealt with their usual babbling before he was taken to the dining hall for breakfast.

Rhett was met with the usual tired faces of the cafeteria employees as they lazily pushed food onto his tray. Rhett’s mind was somewhere else entirely, and he certainly wasn’t interested in eating. He found a seat, somewhere in an empty corner of the dining hall, and angrily slammed his tray down on the table. 

His spoon dragged aimlessly across his plate as Rhett circled the food around, before bringing some up to his mouth. He took a few bites, his stomach stirring from the taste, and took a small drink of water to push it down. It wasn’t that the food was bad per se, but he never had much of an appetite. He groaned before dropping his silverware back down and resting his head on the table, closing his eyes. 

A hard shake on his shoulder by an overly-aggressive orderly jerked his head back up. Rhett rolled his eyes and huffed in response; he didn’t care much for their physical threats, he knew that they were only there to scare him, to make him submit like an animal, but it never worked. He hoped they knew that by now.

He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, listening intently to every noise that filled the open air and his surroundings. 

“Hey there,” a gravelly voice rumbled low into Rhett’s ears, and he shot up so fast he nearly stumbled out of his chair. The baritone of the voice reverberated through Rhett’s bones, and the rich, silky tone ricocheted down his spine. Rhett lifted his head, meeting a pair of bright eyes that stared into his own with a sharp intensity. 

Link’s eyes were intense up close, but unlike the rest of his body, they were not at all expressive. Instead, they were empty, void of emotion. A chilling pale blue, terrifying and deceptive. Each swirl of incandescent, icy blue lined up next to one another cased around pupils as black as inky pools. It made his eyes look like hurricanes, raging with monstrous wrath.

His lean figure towered over Rhett, inches away from his face. He carried a powerful aura that almost intimidated Rhett. His rugged, husky features alone were alluring. The shock of inky grey hair, which shone beneath the overhead lights, was combed back into smooth waves and his face was perfectly structured. His full lips were spread out in a wide smile, both mischievous and charming, and his tight jaw had an angular shape, covered with salt and pepper stubble. Rhett stared at him, lips parted as he watched Link take the seat next to him. 

Even when he returned his eyes to his food, he could still feel Link staring intently from his peripheral vision. 

“What do you want?” Rhett asked, deadpan. 

“I only want to talk. Is that not okay? Please don’t mistake my intentions. I only want what you want,” Link’s voice vibrated with a deep baritone that graced Rhett’s ears. 

Rhett knew Link wanted more than to simply speak with him, he wouldn’t be enticing him this much if not. Rhett enjoyed the attention; it was a different change of pace than he was used to and he would be lying if he said he wasn’t drawn to the other man. Still, something about Link put him on edge, and rightfully so. 

“You have no idea what I want,” Rhett huffed. He watched as the smile fell from Link’s face, and his eyes went hard again. 

“Oh, but I do. I know you want to leave this place, and I can help you. I want to be your friend,” Link leaned closer to Rhett, his lips hovering by his ear. Rhett froze in place, eyes darting around to make sure no one was around, although Link didn’t seem too concerned about it.

“What if I don’t want that?” Rhett stared at him intently.

Link’s eyes looked lost for a moment, almost angry before he pulled himself again. He raised his hand and placed a firm grip on Rhett’s shoulder, almost making him lean into the touch. 

“In that case, say the word, and I’ll leave you alone.” Rhett flinched as he felt Link’s hand slide the length of his arm down to his upper thigh, squeezing ever-so-slightly.

“But, can you really say you want me to leave?” Link’s lips were practically pressed against Rhett’s ear, prickly stubble softly scraping the skin. Rhett leaned back in his chair and away from Link's touch, his eyes darting around the room again to make sure nobody was around, waiting for them to make a wrong move.

“Don’t worry. They aren’t looking,” Link hadn’t lifted his head the entire time, yet he sounded confident in his response. Rhett’s eyes peered upward to see how close Link’s face was to his now, only inches apart, a tension in the air so thick it was almost palpable.

“I-I don’t need any friends, okay?” Rhett nervously stuttered. He had always been so used to repeating that, like a routine, but could barely manage a single word.

“You’re right. Does anybody need friends?” Link responded thoughtfully. He really did have the right words for everything, it seemed. His unrelenting gaze never wavered, pale blue eyes bleeding with intensity; they made Rhett feel uneasy.

“We can leave this place, but only if we do this together,” Link insisted.

“What makes you and me different from anyone else here?” Rhett asked in a curious whisper. 

“They are nothing like us,” Link’s hard expression turned soft again with a gentle smile, pausing for a moment. “We are so much different to all of these people.”

There was another long pause.

“I know more about you than you realize, Rhett. I’ve been watching you, and it didn’t take me long to get inside your head. I know everything there is to know about you, and I can tell you’ve done the same,” Link drawled. Rhett leaned back in his chair and repeated Link’s words over and over in his head. A man he had barely known for a day learned more about him than any doctor had in years. He was fascinated, to say the least.

“Fine,” Rhett finally agreed, making Link’s eyes lift up once more. He felt so weak then, succumbing to words that were so clearly meant to force him into submission. Rhett didn’t know what he was getting himself into exactly, but if it meant finally getting out of there, it didn’t matter. Link didn’t seem like he had poor intentions either, with the way he spoke so carefully to Rhett, able to talk his way through anything using the deep reverberations of his voice and the flow of smooth words.

“Good boy,” his voice vibrated through Rhett’s body, making warm heat pool in his belly.

There was another heated silence, and the conversation took a dark turn as Link leaned in and spoke once more.

“I'm nothing more than a visionary, a man with a dream. I don’t care what others have to say to me, or what others think, as long as they obey me,” Link eyes went dark again, sending a chill down Rhett’s spine.

“My methods might be strange, but they work, and they will work for us. I know what life should be like; I know how to make someone do exactly as I ask them to, falling victim to my conditioning. I understand that those people are inferior to me, so I pity them.”

Another silence.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Rhett spat as his eyes widened in fear.

“Don’t ask me questions you don't want to know the answer to.” Link replied, reflecting the emptiness of his eyes and the dark, brooding energy that surrounded him.

Rhett felt a rough hand on his shoulder as an orderly showed up behind them, aggressively pulling him up to stand. 

“You two, separate.” 

Rhett found another seat but spent the rest of the morning observing Link from afar, which Link more than welcomed. He clearly enjoyed being admired, after all. Once he’d finished eating, Rhett was directed away by the orderly and sent back to his room, watching as Link vanished into the crowd of people like a bystander. 

He didn’t see him again the rest of the day. He wasn’t there at lunch, nor at dinner.

Maybe it was for the best.

Rhett went asleep early that night.

Maybe that was a mistake.

* * *

Rhett was drenched in a puddle of sweat, chest heaving and his breathing sporadic. Another nightmare. 

He knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep the rest of the night now; everything around him felt so uncomfortable. 

The itchy sensation of bedsheets, the bright sliver of moonlight blindly illuminating on his face, the dripping shower faucet, the quiet hum of the air conditioner, the heavy breathing in the room.

Heavy breathing?

Rhett shot straight up from his bed and stared into the corner, nearly jumping out of his skin when he was met with the sight in front of him. 

Sitting there on the floor was Link. He had his knees brought up to his chest, clinging to himself protectively, and his head tilted to one side resting on his kneecap. His dark, unblinking eyes were glued to Rhett. Rhett could feel himself grabbing at his bedsheets and bringing them up to his chest in defense. 

“Link,” he spat angrily, his fists balling up to clinch the sheets. “Why the hell are you in here? Go back to your room before you get caught!”

“I can’t sleep,” Link immediately replied. His eyes still hadn’t blinked, and a chill was sent straight down Rhett’s spine to hum through his bones. 

Rhett hunched forward, bringing his feet to the side of his bed, and huffed in frustration. “Okay, I get that. I can’t sleep either. That still doesn’t explain how you got in here without getting caught, or why the hell you’re in my room.”

“How I got in here doesn’t concern you.”

An unnerving silence followed as the two men remained locked in each other's gaze. 

Link’s eyes fluttered at him, finally blinking out of his trance. “You’re here, Rhett,” he whispered to himself. “You’re here, and you’re my friend. That’s all I need now.” He stood to his feet and scooted closer to Rhett’s bed, kneeling back down and gently resting his head on the side of Rhett’s mattress. 

“What do you mean by that?” Rhett questioned; Link was acting much differently than he had earlier that day, an almost childlike quality to his actions.

Link extended his arms out to pull Rhett into an embrace. “I’m sleeping here tonight,” he insisted as his lips spread into a cheeky grin, closing his eyes shortly after. 

“Link!” Rhett hissed, pushing the other man off the bed. His expression hardened at the sight of Link’s pout and innocent look of confusion; he was not about to deal with getting in trouble because of him. “Link, go back to your room. What do you think would happen if you got caught?”

Links expression went blank again, and he shook his head in disagreement, leaning it back against the bed. “I don’t care,” he replied. 

“Link, come on. You need to leave.” Rhett tried again, grabbing the shorter man by the shoulder and shaking him out of his stupor. He didn’t budge. 

Maybe it was lack of sleep, or maybe he felt bad for the shorter man crouched below him, but arguing back and forth wasn’t worth the time that Rhett could be sleeping. “Fine, go ahead and sleep here tonight. You’ll just get in trouble with the nurses tomorrow. I don’t really care, man. Just don’t make this weird.” Rhett exhaled as he pulled the covers up and laid back down on the pillow. 

Link found a spot next to him and nested himself beside the taller man. Rhett shoved at Link, making sure they had enough space between each other.

Rhett went to sleep.

Link did not.

Instead, he rested there, eyes empty as he watched the slow rise and fall of Rhett’s chest. His eyes raked down Rhett’s body - his perfectly lean, toned body. 

He wanted to touch him, but he didn’t. He had more decency than that. At least that’s what he told himself. 

Instead, he buried his face into the crook of Rhett’s neck and inhaled the musky scent. Rhett didn’t have an identifiable smell other than the harsh chemicals of hospital soap and the familiar saltiness of skin. But it still took over Link’s mind. He let out a short, soft moan and gently pressed his nose against Rhett’s skin, feeling arousal blossom deep in his belly.

“You smell so nice, Rhett,” Link whimpered. Obviously, Rhett couldn’t hear him, but that still didn’t stop Link from speaking out loud, saying words best kept in his head.

“Such a pretty boy. Pretty… pretty…” he repeated the same word, over and over, face still pressed in between Rhett’s neck. He reached his hand to touch Rhett’s chest but stopped himself again.

He pulled away from Rhett and turned on his side, facing away from the taller man that lay next to him, only inches apart. He sighed, closing his eyes, and inched his hands slowly toward the waistband of his pants.

That was the first night Link touched himself with the thought of Rhett on his mind.

* * *

Link did not get in trouble with the hospital staff like Rhett anticipated. Instead, he was gone by the time Rhett had woken up, sent off to an early appointment with Dr. Beck.

Link paced through the hallway alongside the nurse and orderly, directing him toward Dr. Beck’s room for a brief chat about his first week in their program. The nurse knocked hastily and greeted her with a placid smile, before sending Link inside. He pushed forward to sit down in the chair next to her desk.

Link gave her a dark and empty look, one he knew would make her uncomfortable. Dr. Beck was frightened by Link the very first day she had met him, and Link knew to use that to his advantage. 

Her eyes flickered over the papers from Link’s file, intently reading over each note left from his intake. She shuffled the papers into a neat pile and placed them to the side before glancing up at him, avoiding eye contact.

“So, Link. How are you doing today?” 

“I’m fine,” he responded, empty and deadpan. 

“Have you met anyone yet? Made any friends?” She swallowed hard, hands shaking as she reached for a pen to fidget with, avoiding any opportunity for eye contact.

“I have actually.” His lips curled into a slow smile.

Her eyes flickered up in surprise, and a small grin etched on her face.

“T-that’s great, Link. What’s their name?” She sputtered, still avoiding his gaze.

“His name is Rhett.”


	3. Control

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rhett’s discovers the many different layers of Link’s personality.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this one took so long to get out. I have been going through a lot this past week and this chapter didn't turn out exactly how I wanted, so I hope you guys understand. This chapter doesn’t have a lot of storyline progression, but it has quite a bit of plot. In the next one it will start to pick up more. 
> 
> Content warning for this chapter for a non-graphic depiction of a night terror.

“Rhett? You mean my patient?” Dr. Beck questioned, voice teetering on excited and anxious with a swell of curiosity growing in her eyes. 

“I can only assume he’s your patient, yes, Dr. Beck,” Link paused to give her a knowing smile, full of teeth as he grinned, and peered up at her from underneath his lowered glasses, his dark lashes brimming heavy with mischief. He did nothing but stare at her with those empty, unblinking eyes again. Link knew exactly what he was doing; he wanted to make her feel like crawling out of her skin, the same way Rhett knew how to.

“He’s a very interesting man, to say the least. I enjoy his company,” Link continued as his eyes bored holes into her skull, lowering his voice another octave to honey up his words. She broke the tense eye contact and began scribbling something down on Link’s file. 

“He's never opened to anyone like that before! That is wonderful news,” Dr. Beck exclaimed excitedly into Link’s ears, one hand waving about in an enthusiastic motion while the other fidgeted with a pen left on her desk. She wasn’t reacting the way Link wanted her to, which only seemed to irritate him more. 

“This is such a big step for him. It could be a potential stepping stone toward his treatment,” she paused for a moment as she realized she'd been ignoring Link. 

Her eyes flickered up to him, noticing the now soft and timid expression on his face. 

He knew he wasn’t going to get anywhere with small talk, so he had to take matters into his own hands now, and put up a facade.

“I’ve been so lonely,” Link’s voice broke at the end, and his head lowered with a small pout to his lips, as if he were pleading her to do something. He wasn’t sad, or even lonely for that matter; he just knew how to play a long con. 

“I’m sorry to hear that, Link,” She stared blankly at the papers in front of her, chewing her lip as if she was thinking intently. 

“I had nobody before this,” His voice was so full of emotion, yet empty all at once. 

“I know. It will get better, I promise,” Dr. Beck assured him. 

Taking advantage of people seemed inevitable for him. It was just too hard to resist sometimes. None of this was good enough for him, and he didn’t have much time left to get what he wanted out of another unwilling victim.

Her eyes fluttered back up to Link when she heard a soft whimper escape his lips, and noticed a glint of tears welling up in his eyes. 

The smile fell from her face, nervously clicking her pen between her forefinger and thumb again, making the sound grate against the quiet air that filled the room. Link’s strange and sudden display of emotions put her on edge. 

His eyes became a bottomless pool of darkness, one she felt she was drowning in just by looking. There was a facsimile of despair in them, and she wanted to do something, anything, to ease his pain. Dr. Beck, for lack of better judgment, pushed her pride aside to help him. 

“Link, sweetie, please don’t cry. Everything will be okay,” She spoke softly before pausing once again, trying to console him. There was a silence as her lips almost reluctantly spread into a gentle smile. 

“What… what if I were to move him in with you?” Dr. Beck proposed questionably. “Rhett is one of the few patients who has a room to himself. I think that being around someone he can open up to would be helpful for his stability.” Another pause. “It would good for you too, Link. Having another person around could help with your apathy,” she spoke comfortingly. 

Just like that, the crocodile tears were gone.

“Really? You would do that for me?” Link questioned excitedly, his words dripping with an almost perverse tone. She stilled for a brief moment, before hesitantly nodding her head in response. 

“Yes, Link. He’s not scheduled for a session with me until later, but we’ll go ahead and bring him in for a short meeting, to discuss this further.”

“Thank you so much, Dr. Beck. You won’t regret this, I promise.” Link proclaimed, practically gushing with excitement. The revered look he wore like a mask suddenly shifted to one similar to the usual malevolent and dark aura that surrounded him. His eyes never left Dr. Beck as she stood from her desk, and went to speak with the orderly who stood near the doorway. 

Rhett was in the room only minutes later, and the expression on his twisted into one of confusion and shock when his eyes met with Link's. 

“Link? What are you doing here? Can someone tell me what’s going on?” Rhett questioned suspiciously.

So, Dr. Beck did just that. 

“I don’t know, my room is tiny. There’s only one bed, and it’s like that for a reason,” Rhett said carefully, and he was honest. There was no way that they would be able to fit another bed in the room. Now that he thought about it, too, most of the patient's rooms in the hospital were on the smaller side. He wasn’t claustrophobic per se, but he didn’t like the idea of being shoved into another room with someone he barely knew. It would be uncomfortable and unhelpful. 

“Well, Rhett, you are in luck. That’s not going to be a problem,” Dr. Beck twirled and clicked away at a pen dismissively, her soft smile never once faltering as she began warming up to the idea. “I’m going to move the two of you together into a larger room. If you agree to that.” 

There was an abrupt silence in the room. Rhett turned to face Link, looking straight at him, the onyx black of his pupils drilling into Rhett’s. Rhett couldn’t help but think at that moment, he had never seen such dark, empty eyes, with so much light that surrounded them. They were cold, bitter like ice in a tundra. They showed no sense of kindness or compassion. Nothing.

Link gave him a knowing look in return. It was clear Link was plotting something, meticulously and thoughtfully, though Rhett couldn’t manage to pull out of his clouded mind enough to figure out what it was. 

Rhett brought his attention back to the woman in front him, his face now wearing a disappointing frown. It wasn’t that he didn’t like Link. He brought much better company here than most others did in the short time they knew each other, but he was a bit averse to the idea of sharing a room with anyone else. 

It wasn’t like Rhett’s opinion was a deciding factor anyway, and if he meant helping them leave this place quicker, then who was he to stand in the way of Dr. Beck’s better judgment?

“Do whatever you want.” Rhett murmured as he tore his gaze away, finally cooperating. He felt the calm and gentle touch of Link’s palm on his shoulder as the man began to speak again. 

“I am so grateful for this.” Linked mused, rocking his hand on Rhett’s shoulder playfully. Dr. Beck’s eyes awkwardly cast over to the two men, then back down to the haphazardly stacked pile of papers. 

All the while, Rhett kept his eyes on Link, studying him and trying to silently work his way into that brilliant mind of his. He had so many different layers to him it was almost impossible for Rhett to pick him apart. 

How Link could ever convince Dr. Beck to let them stay together, he would never know. 

“Great. It will be a bit before we get you situated in a new room together. We have stringent regulations we have to follow, so this will have to be discussed further with the other members of staff,” she paused. “In the meantime, Link, I would like for you to attend more group therapy sessions with Rhett. I think it would be beneficial for the both of you,” Her lips turned into a warm and thoughtful smile, awaiting the two men to agree to her terms.

Rhett was still somewhat uncomfortable to the idea, but he hesitantly agreed shortly after Link did, who seemed much more eager about them spending more time together.

She began packing away Link’s files and excess papers and picked her jacket up off the back of her chair, signaling that the session was over. 

“I hope to see some improvement from you, Rhett.” 

* * *

They met again the next evening, when the two were brought together for a new group therapy session. 

Rhett slept terribly the night before as usual, but at least Link hadn’t intruded on him again. He would admit part of him missed the company, though. 

“It will be good for you to get to know some of the others,” the nurse suggested encouragingly with an obnoxious smile plastered on her face as she walked down the broad hallway. “It will give the two of you a chance to open yourself up more.”

“How is this any different from the group therapy we used to go to?” Rhett questioned curiously. 

The nurse tried her best to set him at ease. “Well, Rhett. You two went to cognitive behavioral therapy before. Much different than behavioral therapy you’ll be attending today, which deals more with those who deal with mood disorders and personality disorders. Like Link, for example,” Rhett’s mind drifted for only a moment at that sudden confession.

“You two will share stories with the others and give advice. That sort of thing. Not much different than what you were used to before, just a different style.”

“Link… a personality disorder?” His sentence came out about as confusing as he felt at that moment.

Before Rhett could even give that another thought, they were met with a bright but unfamiliar face of a new doctor that stood by the door of the group therapy room. 

The doctor smiled uncomfortably, running his fingers through his hair.

None of this sounded all that bad to Rhett, which was why the two of them were there now, sitting in uncomfortable chairs in the small circle of others.

Rhett sat beside Link; he was the only familiar face in a small group of strangers. Rhett slumped into his chair, his brows furrowed and lips pushed out in a pout. 

“Hello everyone. my name is Dr. Kendrick,” the new doctor brought his hands together, face lit up with enthusiasm. “I’m glad to see everyone here! I see we have some new faces here today and some familiar ones as well.”

Not a single response. The only sound in the room that occurred after the doctors obnoxiously cheerful voice was the distressed whispers of some of the patients.

He became slightly less enthusiastic from their lackluster response but kept up his spirits as best he could. “Why don’t we introduce ourselves to each other?”

Rhett, rolling his eyes, offered a dismissive groan. 

“Thank you for volunteering, Rhett!” The doctor apparently took Rhett’s sudden voice of frustration as an invitation. “Why don’t you tell everyone your name and why you’re here?” He asked. 

Rhett was tempted to ignore his request when he remembered why he was here and how it was best to play along. He gave the doctor a dirty, uninterested look before he spoke. “My name is Rhett McLaughlin,” he paused. “I’m here for a lot of reasons, and I guess the one that sticks out the most would be depression. That good enough of an answer for you?” He replied sarcastically. 

No replies, as if no one else planned on saying anything else. Dr. Kendrick must have realized this, because he politely introjected, “Why don’t you pick someone next, Rhett? That way we can keep the introductions moving.”

Rhett turned his eyes toward the other tired-eyed patients. Most of them look jaded and unexpressive, and he didn’t feel comfortable talking to any of them. His eyes flickered across the room until they settled upon the man beside him, Link. 

He wasn’t sure if he was comfortable choosing him either, but at least he knew the man to some degree, slightly more comfortably than the others. 

“Link,” Rhett replied, pointing at the man crouched in the seat next to him.

Link looked over at him irritatedly, veritably rocking in his chair. He hesitated at first, but went ahead and took his turn.

“My name is Link Neal. You all should know that by now, though.” The words came out matter-of-factly and sarcastically, and the doctor had to suppress the need to snap back at him.

“Now, Link,” Dr. Kendrick said sternly. “You need to tell everyone here a little bit more. What did your last doctor tell you before you transferred here?”

Link refused to meet his eyes and remained completely silent. Rhett gave a cooperative nudge on the shoulder. 

He didn’t understand why the same man who was so eager the day before was being so difficult today. It was as if he enjoyed challenging authority when it wasn’t beneficial to him.

“Link,” the doctor repeated, an edge of frustration in his voice. 

Link’s eyebrows furrowed together, gritting his teeth as he let out a distressed breath. “Fine. At first, they said I had bipolar disorder. Can you believe that? But apparently, that was a misdiagnosis, too. It’s amazing how people who study for years and years can’t even manage to get a single damn thing right about their patients,” he spat out with a glint of anger, his voice getting louder with each word. Link looked up, and there was a flicker of fire that burned brightly inside him. “But those people, they all got paid to keep me locked up in that place where they can watch me and drug me like an animal! I’m not crazy, okay? I’m not!” He repeated himself over and over, sounding like a broken record. 

By the time he was done talking, to absolutely no one at that point, his voice was so loud that the sounds were reverberating throughout the room. A thunderous shout, brought forth with enough anger to match the demented look on his face.

Rhett felt so embarrassed, hiding his face in hands while his new friend decided this was a good time to start throwing a temper tantrum. 

Dr. Kendrick was shocked by Link’s sudden forceful outburst. “Of course you aren’t, Link,” He said supportively, trying to backtrack. Obviously, he was just trying to prevent Link from getting any angrier. “Why don’t you pick someone else now?”

Rhett closed his eyes and tried to focus on absolutely anything else at that moment. 

Group therapy had been such a bad idea.

The end of the day couldn’t have come quicker for Rhett. Rhett was not only embarrassed but was also frightened by the range of emotions he’d seen from Link in the short time he had known him. 

After that ordeal, Rhett avoided Link through the rest of day. He was insistent that Link not speak to him after that embarrassing display of a meltdown, only hoping Link would listen. 

In his current state, he was beginning to wonder if agreeing to be Link’s friend, and more importantly, his roommate, was a big mistake.

Rhett laid in bed after the unbearably long day, desperate for sleep to overtake him, to let his mind let go and finally succumb to his exhaustion. His head felt empty and fuzzy, like the static of a television, and his eyes glazed over, sliding shut if only for a brief moment, and the familiar call of sleep finally took him over. 

* * *

“Wake up!”

A voice, thicker than oil, richer than velvet bellowed into Rhett’s ears, reverberating through the empty walls of the room. 

Rhett couldn’t move, couldn’t see, couldn’t do anything but listen. He felt the hard thrum of his heartbeat, threatening to burst from his chest; it was a jarring, suffocating sensation. His lungs constricted, tightening on a breath of air that stayed trapped inside him. He could hear his ragged breathing and feel the oxygen flooding in and out of him. He knew he was still unconscious, he had to be, but his body was still trying to move. This had to be a nightmare; it had to be, it all felt too familiar. 

He could feel the sweat that drenched his skin, the throbbing pulse in his head, and the overwhelming ringing that vibrated in his ears. 

His body refused to budge. His mind stay filled with static, he tried opening his eyes but they refused, and his limbs fell heavy against the bed, feeling awake inside a body that was still sleeping. Everything was still so dark, pitch. There was no moonlight from the windows, no bright hallways, just emptiness. 

“I’m here, please, Rhett. I need you to wake up.”

Rhett tried to pull his body forward, push his legs out, anything, he tried to force noise from his throat, but nothing came out. Nothing was working, and now the fear was beginning to torture him, engulfing his consciousness. 

He swore his arm didn’t move, or at least he didn’t notice when it did. Yet, he felt his fingers spread out and moved forward into the darkness. He felt vibrations in his fingertips as he touched something. A face, then a mouth. 

“Listen to my voice, Rhett. You’re safe with me.”

Something was touching him now, rubbing his face, first fingers, then hands. He couldn’t see anything around him but could feel everything.

More sensations. Rhett felt a heaviness pushing into his ribs, trapping the air in his lungs, then hands grabbing him, restraining his arms. He felt fingernails clawing at the exposed parts of his skin, almost deep enough to break the flesh. 

Air suddenly flooded into Rhett's lungs, and he finally woke up, a sputtering gasp leaving him as his vision slowly came back into focus. The first image that came back to him was the moonlight irradiating through the barred windows, then bedsheets he lay on each night. Then there was a not-so-familiar sight, of a man towering over him. 

His eyes finally refocused, piece by piece, and he finally matched a face with the blurry figure. 

Link?

Link was on top of Rhett, straddling his hips, pushing against the taller man’s stomach as he attempted to restrain him, to keep him pinned there while he thrashed from his nightmare earlier. Link apparently had no idea how to properly restrain someone, his knees were jutting into both of Rhett’s ribs, and the entirety of his body weight was pushing the air from Rhett’s diaphragm, the grip Link had on Rhett’s wrist was nearly bruising, and his blunt fingernails were starting to make divots into his wrists.

He had Rhett’s arms pinned to the sides of his head, anchoring his arm against Rhett’s neck, pressing against his windpipe, causing him to gasp for air once more. Rhett didn’t understand why Link was in his room again, after explicitly telling him he didn’t want to speak to him. He was even more frightened now than from the nightmare he had just woken up from, convinced Link was going to hurt him.

Link only thought he was helping Rhett, at least that’s what he told himself. He snuck into Rhett’s room while he slept again, despite Rhett’s wishes. He slept on the floor next to him; he didn’t expect his friend to be so dismissive and scold him for what happened earlier. 

His plan backfired when Rhett had another night terror. Usually, his reactions weren’t so violent, but tonight was an exception. Link had to act on his feet when he saw Rhett thrashing about in his bed during his episode. He had to restrain him, shut him up, otherwise, the nurse working the night shift would have caught them. 

“Rhett, come back to me please.” Rhett was still gaining his bearings, but the moment he heard Link speak again he instinctively jerked away, defensively kicking his legs out and pushed Link on to the floor. 

“S-stay away from me.” Rhett's voice was hoarse from the pressure put to his throat. He looked frantically at his surroundings, grabbing what was nearest, in this case, his bedsheet, and pulled it up to his chest protectively. He wiped the tears that fell from his face with the back of his hand, but his vision was growing blurry again. Tears were streaming down his cheeks, and everything hurt, everything felt so wrong. He pulled his knees up to his chest, rocking back and forth.

“Rhett, please. I’m sorry. I needed to see you again. I’m sorry, okay? I just wanted to help!” Link sounded almost genuinely hurt, but even then it was hard to tell his sincerity. The situation was escalating so fast, and Link was afraid someone would hear them now.

Link was just as quick to get a hold onto Rhett again, trying to ground him with his surroundings. Rhett tried to jerk away from the shorter man when he reached up, but Link was persistent. He cupped Rhett’s face in his hands, pale and flushed, the tears leaked from his eyes and dripped to Link’s hands, and he felt every muscle in Rhett’s face tighten.

He kept the contact, despite Rhett’s struggles, knowing if he lost Rhett’s touch altogether the chance of getting near him again would be impossible. He carefully slid his hands from Rhett’s face, then down to his arms, to his shoulders, holding him still. Rhett wanted to push away, wanted to cry and hide away, but he was weak, he was tired, his entire body hurt and ache, and he felt like dying. He couldn’t do anything but push the streams of tears that fell from eyes. Nothing felt right, even now as he was awake and aware he wasn’t dreaming. 

Link pulled him in even tighter, surrounding him with warmth and leaned Rhett’s head down against his chest.

“Everything’s okay. I’ve got you.”

“Why are you here? What do you want?” Rhett sobbed, still trying to shove the other man away. 

“Just listen to me,” Link murmured, he turned Rhett’s head up to face him, their eyes meeting. Link had the most revered look on his face, and for a fleeting moment, Rhett felt safe. This was so unlike Link, and he didn’t know how to handle it anymore. 

Link’s hand trailed up through Rhett’s thick hair, twining the tousled strands through his fingers. Rhett wanted to resist, his fight or flight response telling him he needed to escape. But he gave in, he had to.

Link’s entire chest was damp and hot from Rhett’s tears, but it didn’t bother him. He held Rhett with one hand and used the other to pull at the neck of his shirt, removing it from his body with ease before the space between them dissipated. He pressed Rhett against his bare chest, and cradled him, pushing him gently against it to listen to the gentle rhythm of his heart and Rhett cried. He cried for so long, face buried in Link’s chest to muffle his sobs. And Link just held him. 

It had been so long since either of them had felt the warmth of another human being; an intimate moment where two tried to become one.

Link’s heart beat in a slow rhythm, steady and even, and it grounded Rhett. He heard each breath of air that filled Link’s lungs and the gentle thrum in his chest. There was something so warm about Link that Rhett had not felt with anyone in awhile, something that felt so right, and he finally succumbed to Link’s touch.

“Just listen,” Link repeated.

So Rhett did.

Link didn't say anything else. He didn’t need to. Instead, Link cradled him until be brought him back, chasing away the empty threats in Rhett's head, his presence lulling Rhett back into security.

Nobody had ever been able to calm the demons that quarreled inside of Rhett, even now, he still couldn’t believe it. But with Link, there was something different.

Rhett was beginning to think maybe this would work out after all.


	4. Crave

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link could see all those strings that Rhett hung from, and who was he to not pull them?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone. Don't hate me for this chapter. Content warning in this for some mild violence.

It had been well over a week since Rhett’s last episode. 

He would admit he was rather off-put about it in the days following, but he’d been feeling much better with the help of Link. Better now that he could actually sleep soundly for the first time in a while, and no longer wake up in the middle of the night from the nightmares that plagued him. 

Rhett’s meltdown had kept him distraught most of that night, but Link had kept him close by, lulling Rhett back to safety until the morning sun crept past the windows. If Rhett was being honest with himself, there was something strangely pleasant about Link that he was growing to enjoy. 

Link was a bit of an anomaly to him. He was dark and brooding, commanding and powerful, but when he had held Rhett that night, he had given him the respect of an equal. He had treated him with the same gentleness a mother would with her child, something Rhett so strongly desired. Companionship, attention, and a gentle touch. 

Rhett knew Link wasn’t stable; he bordered on being practically unhinged. He constantly ignored Rhett’s boundaries and defied the authority of others, and sometimes he could be downright frightening, but he treated him like an equal rather than a subordinate, and that was something Rhett needed so desperately in his life. He needed someone to genuinely care about him, to ground him in his surroundings. 

Something pulled him to Link, and as much as he wished to deny those feelings for the sake of being alone, he didn’t and he couldn’t. 

Maybe it was the fact that both men shared the same feelings of worthlessness and hatred for those around them. Regardless, for the first time in a very long time, Rhett felt okay. He had someone who distracted him from the burdens that weighed on his conscious so heavily, who chased away the demons that lay dormant in his head. Rhett had grown to crave Link’s companionship, his overwhelming presence, his brilliant yet secretive mind.

They’d spent the following week almost inseparable, attached at the hip. The two men spent nearly every waking moment together. The only moments they were apart where the instances they had individual therapy sessions, or when they were forced into showering in their separate rooms each day. 

Their days consisted of spending meals together, exchanging small and heated glances across the table, and those subtle brushes of their legs that teetered the fine line of friendly touch and something else entirely. Rhett knew they were beginning to cross that line, but where that line began exactly, he wasn’t sure. 

Rhett enjoyed their nights together the most. Link would still show up in his room at night, and despite the fact they could get into trouble with the hospital staff and lose the privilege of being roommates in the near future, they were never caught. They still had a few weeks before they would be moved into a room together, and Link made absolutely sure nothing got in the way of that. 

Instead of spending his late nights screaming and crying from the terrors of his mind, Rhett would lie awake with his friend next to him, silently watching the night sky through the barred windows. Sometimes Link would even hold him as he slept. To Rhett, it was all starting to feel like so much more than a friendship. But Link never spoke about those feelings, and Rhett didn’t want to ruin what they had, so the subject had been casually pushed aside.

Even now, as Rhett sat on the cold hospital floor near his friend, who gazed up at the moonlight that irradiated across the windowsill and the garishly bright stars that glinted in the pitch sky, all of those thoughts started to muddle in his head. 

“Look up, Rhett. Do you see them?” Link turned to the taller man behind him. He pointed his shaky hands in the direction of the darkness where a few lone stars glittered brightly in the sky. Link stood by the window, his bright eyes staring into the emptiness, while Rhett sat inches behind him and rested his own, knees brought to his chest as he willed himself to relax. Link’s voice was as quiet as the night, and his question was of a curious tone rather than demanding. 

Rhett beamed, eyes flickering open as he lifted his head to meet Link’s gaze, bringing his attention to the man stood in front of him. “See what? The stars?” 

“They’re so bright. It never looks like this at night,” Link confided. “My room doesn’t have a window, so it’s been a while since I’ve been able to see them like this.” Link had a soft smile etched across his face, and Rhett couldn’t help but smile in return at the sudden warmth in Link’s expression.

“Yeah, it’s beautiful,” Rhett replied in a hushed tone, nodding in agreement. But this time he wasn’t thinking about the stars. 

Link let out a despondent sigh. “I hated being in that room alone at night when I first got here. Then I found a pretty boy named Rhett to be my friend,” Link paused, his lips curling into a slightly mischievous smile. Sometimes Link would get into this headspace where he’d speak to himself like Rhett wasn’t around. It was a bit off-putting, but Rhett had become used to Link’s unpredictable and strange mannerisms. 

“They don’t care about us here, Rhett. I hear them talking about us at night; I hear the whispers through the walls.” Link’s mood shifted suddenly, eyes glazing over with sadness. Rhett knew that wasn’t true, that it was likely just a manifestation of a delusion, but he had to go along with it. 

“It’s okay, Link. We’ve got each other,” Rhett supportively replied. 

“We’re leaving here soon. I’ll make sure of it.” Link’s words filled Rhett with an uneasy sense of foreboding. Rhett didn’t know what that entailed, and although he trusted Link’s judgement, he still felt off-put when Link’s words came out so stern and matter-of-fact. 

Link made his way over from the window to sit next to Rhett, resting a hand on the taller man’s shoulder. He squeezed it slightly, before ghosting his hand up to Rhett’s chin and turning it to meet his gaze. Rhett froze in place, unable to move as he drowned in the shallow pools of Link’s eyes. 

“Look at me.” 

Rhett took in his words, locking their eyes together in a fervent gaze, but remained silent. Link’s fingers curled across Rhett’s cheek as his expression casted over with a familiar hardness. 

“Do you believe me?” Link’s voice was commanding and resonated deeply through Rhett’s bones, demanding an answer rather than requesting one. Rhett knew all too well that saying the wrong thing to Link would create the worst of reactions, even in this setting, and he didn’t want to be on the receiving end of that. Rhett didn’t know if what Link said was the truth, if they would actually ever leave this place, but he didn’t care in that moment. If it was what Link needed to hear, then he was more than willing to give him what he wanted. 

A hopeful smile spread across Rhett’s face, starting from the drag of his lips and ending with the crinkling of his warm, green eyes. 

“I believe you,” Rhett finally answered. He turned his head away from Link’s touch and looked back up into the night sky, now glittering brighter with more stars. 

“Come on, let’s go lay down.” Link lifted to his feet and inched toward Rhett’s bed, pushing aside the haphazardly arranged comforter to sit down and spread his legs out, patiently waiting. Rhett followed behind him shortly after, and laid next to the space beside him. Link seemed to have other plans for him, though. He roughly tugged Rhett into an embrace, resting Rhett’s back against his torso, dissipating the space between them. Link rested his head on Rhett’s shoulder, and when Rhett realized how close Link was to him, his face burned a bright shade of crimson. 

“One day, when we leave, it won’t be like this. We can go outside and watch the stars together, and I can count all the stars I wish I could give to you,” Link’s voice was sticky-sweet, dripping off his tongue like honey. 

Rhett tried to comprehend just what Link meant by that. Link never made any sense, he was so unpredictable, and that was what drew him in the most. His words could be as sweet as honeysuckle or as sharp as barbed wire. 

That’s when Rhett realized exactly what Link was trying to do. He was trying to honey him up with his words like some sort of romance novel. 

Link pulled Rhett in closer until there was no space left between the two, and they could feel the warmth of each others skin. Both of Link’s arms were wrapped around Rhett, hugged against his abdomen, and Rhetts hands hovered over Link’s, tracing his fingertips across Link’s knuckles. 

“Link?”

“What, Rhett?”

“Why are you here, exactly?”

Link’s grip around Rhett’s waist suddenly dropped and his hands pulled from his sides as he turned Rhett to face him. 

“What do you mean?”

Rhett huffed as he spoke hesitantly, “I mean, you’ve never told me anything about you. Why were you sent here?” Rhett tried to break his gaze, but Link grabbed his jaw aggressively, jerking his head to meet him. Link’s other hand slid behind Rhett’s head and ran his through the thick tresses before it curled into a fist around his hair. 

“Why does it matter?” Link’s barbed voice grated against Rhett’s ears.

“It doesn’t,” Rhett stuttered, tongue catching in his throat. “I just wanted to know. I’m sorry,” he finished his sentence filled with a sense of regret. Maybe asking that was a mistake. 

Link pulled Rhett’s head back by a fistful of hair, baring his throat, and his eyes cut like a blade straight into Rhett’s. Link looked down at him, making Rhett look about as small as he felt in that moment. “Tell me now. Why are you asking me this?” Link looked like an animal ready to attack its prey, and his eyes seared with a vicious intensity.

“I just want to know more about you. Is that not okay?”

Rhett struggled against Link’s grip, which only seemed to grow tighter at his resistance. Link scanned Rhett’s face, looking into the depth of his eyes, trying to detect any hints that Rhett might be lying. 

“They got rid of me. They didn’t want me there anymore.”

Rhett’s expression turned into one of confusion, only making Link appear more upset. “That doesn’t make any sense. What could you have done that made them not want you there anymore?”

Link sighed dismissively, finally loosening the grip from Rhett’s head. “Answer this, Rhett. Could you stand to be somewhere where you’re not wanted? Where they can’t stand you, where they despise your very existence?” Link avoided answering Rhett’s question altogether. “The only reason I’m even here now, with you, is because you asked me to be here!” Link was becoming more and more unhinged with each word that ripped from his throat, and Rhett could see the same familiar glint of anger that raged wildly in his eyes. 

“That’s not what happened at all, Link. I didn’t ask you to do anything. You practically cornered me with no choice.” Rhett furrowed his brows in frustration. Link looked lost for a moment as if what Rhett said wasn’t the absolute truth. 

“Fine, I’ll just go.” He practically shoved himself off Rhett, pulling away from the bed and to his feet.

“I didn’t ask you to leave.” Rhett lifted to his feet and tried to approach Link, but Link backed away from him. Link’s fists were white-knuckled from clenching too hard, and he grit his teeth in an effort to keep quiet, his towering form portraying an animosity that was like fire. His face was crimson red with anger, and when Rhett made the slightest move toward him, he finally snapped.

Link suddenly stormed forward and grabbed Rhett by the throat, pulling roughly and shoving him against the nearest wall. His eyes flickered wildly with waves of lucent blue caging the deadly onyx of his pupils. 

“Tell me what you want from me. Now,” Link demanded, his blood boiling hot underneath his skin. Link’s grip on Rhett’s neck wasn’t tight or constricting, but rather there as a way to anchor him to the surface, allowing him to speak properly. 

“I just want you to like me, Link. I don’t need anything special! I like you, probably more than I should. But, you’re the one who wanted to be here, you asked me first,” Rhett exhaled hard on the tail end of his sentence. The fire in Link’s eyes suddenly burnt out and misted over with a sense of disappointment. “But I do like you, Link. I want you to stay here and I like spending time with you. I don’t need you to do anything but be yourself. The real you,”

Link searched his surroundings; he looked genuinely hurt as Rhett’s words worked their way into his head. His eyes shot back up to Rhett as realization set in, his expression empty, and he parted his lips slightly to speak the words that were desperate to rip from his throat.

“You wouldn’t like the real me,” Link’s voice was eerily foreboding. 

“Yes, I would,” Rhett confided. Link took several deep breaths and shook his head, suddenly shifting his expression. Link’s eyes were always so quick to change emotions. 

When Link was calm once more, he took a step back and sat on the edge of Rhett’s bed, twining his fingers through his silver thicket of hair and exhaled hard. Rhett sat beside him, resting a comforting hand on his knee.

“No one has ever helped me like that, thank you.” Link admitted with gentle admiration.

Rhett’s lips curved into a weary smile. He was always put off by Link’s sudden outbursts, and the fact that Link had actually put his hands on him like that frightened him a little, but he still wanted to be there for him. 

“Come here, pretty boy,” Link’s commanding tone made Rhett shiver. Link pulled Rhett in closer and a smoldering stare held Rhett in place. Before he could find time to react, Link had placed his slender fingers against Rhett’s soft cheek, gentle yet insistent. Rhett should have felt scared, but all he could feel was the warmth of excitement that pooled in his stomach. Link leaned forward and Rhett’s breath caught in his lungs; his intentions were as clear as could be. 

Link kissed him for the very first time, and Rhett’s world finally fell away. 

It was a kiss that marked a beginning, a promise of much more to come.

* * *

It really was that easy, wasn’t it? 

It was so easy for Link to get exactly what he wanted out of Rhett. Rhett was weak, just like the rest of them. A broken man who had fallen deep into Link’s trap the very moment they met. Link had that power over people; he’d known Rhett for such a short amount of time and yet he already had him wrapped around his finger. 

Link saw a man who claimed he desired to be alone, who was satisfied with his solitude, but in reality was so desperate for companionship, and knew how to take advantage of that. Link could see all those strings that Rhett hung from, and who was he to not pull them? 

It turned out, Link had learned over time, that he was blessed with a gift. He could bend and mold others with words as he so pleased until his victim almost believed anything he said. He could make them believe that they were alive only because he allowed it. 

He could provide a perfect reality, bring every dream to fruition, just to destroy it right in front of their eyes. He could make a person guilty of every sin, his tricks and tactics making anyone the villain in his story. Link didn’t use his brilliant mind for good, though. Maybe good for him, but not anyone else. 

Link could manipulate anyone into believing anything he wanted until they didn’t know what was reality anymore. He could make them trust him with their lives, and tell them so many lies they were no longer able to distinguish what was the truth even when it was right in front of their face. 

And now, Link had found a new victim. In such a short time, he had already claimed Rhett as his own. And that was where the real fun began. 

Link had always known how to get exactly what he wanted out of others. He knew what questions to ask, he knew how to play up different emotions, and he knew how to pull at heartstrings and tear people apart. 

He knew exactly what to say, and how to say it. He knew how to control people, how to put them into submission. He could control what they did or said as he so pleased. 

Link wasn’t quite sure how he did it either, how he broke others down so easily. But he loved that he did. 

Sure, he could admit he wasn’t completely emotionless. He just didn’t understand most emotions, empathy and remorse, for example. Nor did he care to understand or respect the boundaries of others. He still experienced a wide range of emotions, so many it consumed his very being, bringing him to the destructive and fragile state he was in today.

He just loved the thought of someone losing their mind because of him, he loved the thought of making others miserable, how easily he could get inside of their head. He loved the control and the power. He believed that if they allowed themselves to be used, then it was their fault for being taken advantage of.

Link loved how none of his victims knew it was him, only to find blame in themselves. 

And that’s what he loved the most.

* * *

In the weeks following their friendship, or whatever it really was, the two began to discover the different planes of each other’s personalities. They were both full of many ideas, both illustrious and disastrous. 

Rhett would watch the way Link’s eyes hardened with a deceptive aura when he would speak, and Link would watch the small curves of Rhett’s lips when a dark and destructive thought crossed his mind. The two could easily come together to form the perfect plan, but despite Rhett’s attempt at prying for information, Link refused to reveal his unusual methods. It would only be a matter of time, though.

Today would finally be the day the two would be roomed together. They had gone through several weeks of sessions together with Dr. Beck to ensure the utmost safety not only for their own wellbeing but for others around them as well. 

It was more than easy for Link to get what he wanted from her, he had that special gift. He knew just what to say to make people his puppet, pulling at their strings with ease. 

The pair met again later that day during lunch. 

Rhett scanned the room and found his friend sitting patiently at their usual spot, his shock of silver hair always sticking out in the group of others. Rhett approached him and found a lone seat next to his friend. 

“Hey, pretty boy. Missed you,” Link’s low and unchanging voice rumbled deep inside his chest. Rhett flickered his eyes up to him with a small smile etched across his face. Link pushed his seat closer to Rhett’s, but not close enough to draw more attention to themselves. His eyes scanned over Rhett’s features unwaveringly, making a light shade of blush blossom across his face. Rhett always enjoyed being studied and admired by Link. 

“You were just in my room last night, Link,” Rhett joked playfully. 

“Hm, I know,” Link’s southern drawl was more prominent than usual. He rested his hand on Rhett’s knee and slowly pushed it in between his thighs, causing an almost knee-jerk reaction from Rhett to pull away. 

“Link, don't touch me like that. We could get caught. You can’t just do whatever you want whenever you feel like it,” Rhett responded sternly, promptly scolding his friend. 

“I’m sorry for being selfish and not thinking about how you feel,” Link’s words sounded apologetic but the expression underneath his lashes told a different story, mischievous and seductive. 

“I have something for us, Rhett. Consider it a housewarming gift,” Link drawled out, winking at Rhett playfully. The bright crimson on Rhett’s face drained out, and he cocked his eyebrow in response. 

“What is it?” Rhett questioned curiously. Rhett’s eyes darted up to ensure nobody was around to eavesdrop on the tail end of their conversation. 

“Something that will help us leave when the time comes,” Link whispered softly into Rhett’s ear, voice rumbling low like a roll of thunder. “It took a little bit of time to get it, but persuading a few young and naive members of staff always seems to work out so well.” Link leaned back in his chair, resting his hands behind his head. 

“Persuading?”

“Don’t you worry, pretty boy. It meant absolutely nothing,” Link ensured him. 

“What did you do?” Suddenly a wave of jealousy ran deep under his skin, prickling his flesh with heat that rushed straight to his head. 

“It doesn’t matter. It was innocent flirting, it meant nothing. There’s no reason to feel insecure.” Rhett knew what Link said was supposed to comfort him, but instead he felt degraded. Rhett crossed his arms and huffed in annoyance. 

“I’ll see you later tonight.” Link spoke in a hushed tone, expelling the air from his lungs across Rhett’s face. The two finished eating in silence and while Rhett was rather upset with Link’s actions, his body burned with excitement at Link’s profound statements.

* * *

The two were situated in their new room later that night. It wasn’t much different than the one Rhett had had previously. There was still the blinding white walls that surrounded the room, stripped of their belongings, and the presence of an extra bed rather than a single. When the door was finally closed behind them and they were free to roam, every pretense began to fall apart. 

It was beginning to get late and Rhett was growing too eager over what Link had mentioned earlier, about the special gift he wished to show him tonight. 

“Sit on the bed for me,” Link demanded, and Rhett was more than happy to submit to his wishes. At this point, Rhett already knew what was going to happen tonight; he didn’t need to ask. 

Rhett’s body was alight with excitement and nervous energy, his skin tingling in a frenzy of static. He watched as Link inched forward toward the bathroom. Link’s shirt was peeled from his skin first, and Rhett couldn’t help but stare. He’d seen Link without his shirt many times before, but never in such an intimate setting. They hadn’t reached the point of sleeping together yet, at least not in that type of way, so the entire situation made heat prickle his skin and grate his stomach with anxious desire. 

Link pulled the waistband of his scrubs down and kicked them down to the floor. He was in nothing but his boxers now, and all Rhett could do was take in the features of the man in front of him, drinking in each and every curve and crevice of Link’s body like he was a fine wine. 

Link’s physique was much more slender than his own, he would admit, yet his muscles were much larger and toned compared to Rhett’s. He had learned that the hard way when he was restrained to his bed by the other man a while ago. 

“Wanna see the special present I got us, pretty boy?” Links voice dripped with desire, a commanding tone that demanded obedience, and it sent a shiver right down Rhett’s spine. Link didn’t let Rhett answer, instead just reaching toward the waist of his tightly clad boxers, hands gliding across the soft patch of skin on his abdomen and then underneath his groin. Rhett thought he knew what was going to happen next, but he couldn’t have been more wrong. 

Link reached into his boxers as if he was searching for something and instead of being what Rhett expected it to be, it was something else different entirely. It was an object, one that rattled with a loud clunk when it hit the bathroom counter. 

“What the hell is that?” Suddenly all that nervous energy inside Rhett started to increase tenfold. Link picked up the mysterious object and held it up to the light, clicking it open, and the silver illuminated brightly against the dim lighting of the bathroom. 

A blade? 

From far away, Rhett couldn’t make out exactly what it was. But when Link stepped out of the bathroom to give him a better look, all of the blood drained from his face. 

It wasn’t just a blade, it was a straight razor. It wasn’t a typical razor, it was just a blunt, unguarded stainless steel blade attached to a smooth handle. He never imagined Link would take it this far all those times he had joked about how uncomfortable it was to not be able to shave. 

“W-what is that? How did you manage to get that past anyone? And how the hell are you gonna hide that?” Rhett stuttered, a million questions in his mind, feeling more anxious now than excited. 

“Don’t you worry. I’m not going to hurt anyone…” Link’s voice trailed off into a quiet whisper. “Yet.” 

Rhett didn’t know what he meant by that, but something about Link’s dangerous edge perversely excited him all of a sudden, making his toes curl and his body shudder with desire. Rhett watched as Link made his way back into the bathroom, turning the faucet on to wet his hands and the blade with fresh water and splash it against his face. 

Link stood in front of the mirror, dry shaving with a straight razor. It was more than dangerous but Link seemed to curve and push the blade across his face with a practiced ease. Each muscle in Link’s arm contracted as he swept the razor down his jaw, finally freeing himself of the thicket of stubble attached to his face. 

Link saw Rhett staring at him out his peripheral; Rhett knew Link enjoyed being admired, being watched, knew he enjoyed every bit of attention he could get, and Rhett was only feeding into that desire. Once finished, Link set the blade down and picked up his shirt from the ground to wipe the excess hair from his face. His dark eyes glared over Rhett with a glint of vicious sexual desire, like an animal ready to lay claim. 

“Come here,” Link demanded, and Rhett’s reflexes kicked in almost instantly. He got up from the bed and walked forward in Link’s direction, but before he could even muster a response, Link had grabbed him and pinned him to the bathroom wall. Link was ready to take Rhett right then and there but wanted to break the man down first. Link slammed his lips against Rhett’s in a bruising kiss, hard enough for their foreheads to collide, and nearly expelled the entirety of Rhett’s lungs from his body. Rhett didn’t have a moment to react before Link slid his tongue past the drag of Rhett’s lips, and Rhett obeyed his silent command, allowing Link to delve into the wet heat of his mouth. 

The kiss was rough, no longer teetering on a soft gentleness. Rhett’s hands reached up and tangled through Links thick hair, tugging it in every direction. Link pulled at the hem of Rhett’s shirt, pulling it past his head with ease, and tossed it past his shoulder. The space between them dissipated, and Rhett arched into Link’s broad chest, moaning into the warmth of skin to skin contact. 

Link pushed back into Rhett’s mouth, saliva seeping down his throat with every push of his tongue against Rhett’s own. The heat seemed to travel through Rhett’s body, burning him alive. Just as he felt his blood begin to boil, Link finally drew away. He heaved his lungs across Rhett’s face and rested his forehead against Rhett’s. 

“I want you so bad,” Rhett quietly moaned, words trailing into a whisper. 

“I know, Rhett. I’ll be good to you tonight,” Link drawled as his hands inched down Rhett’s broad torso, down to the space above his pubic bone. Rhett shuddered with anticipation, desperate to be free from his clothing. Link tugged both Rhett’s pants and boxers down in a swift motion, and Rhett kicked them off eagerly as he finally sprung free. 

“You’ll be good to me? What if I don’t want that?” Rhett teased. The drunken, lustful look in Link's eyes suddenly shifted, replaced with a violently destructive aura that seeped from Links presence, bleeding into Rhett like a fresh wound. Link looked as if he suddenly had all the power in the world in his hands, and maybe he did. 

“Are you asking me to hurt you?” Link’s gravely voice cut through Rhett’s body like a knife, and Rhett paused, questioning what exactly Link’s words entailed.

Regardless, he nodded his consent. Before Rhett had a moment’s notice, Link had his hand wrapped around his throat, squeezing tight enough to cut off a bit of circulation. With his free hand, Link grabbed the razor from the counter and pressed the sharp end below Rhett’s jaw. 

Rhett wasn’t scared anymore, he only wanted to entice and push Link further. Rhett leaned his own neck against the blade, attempting to break the skin, but Link pulled the razor away in refusal and threw it to the ground. 

“I will break you down, Rhett. I will hurt you, badly. Is that really want you want?” Link became a vicious blue-eyed beast, ready to tear Rhett apart like a fresh kill. The light behind Link’s eyes suddenly went out; Rhett gave him this power and he wasn’t going to take it lightly. 

His hand suddenly constricted around Rhett’s throat, pressing harshly against his windpipe.

“Answer me,” Link spat, lips spread out to flash his canines into full view. 

“Y-yes,” Rhett finally managed to choke out. Link released the bruising chokehold and pulled back, making Rhett sputter on a single inhale that filled his lungs with air. Link’s eyes slid shut, trying to control the destructive energy that rushed through his body. 

“With me, now.” Link demanded, pulling Rhett’s wrist with an angry force, leading him toward the bed.


	5. Heaven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rhett and Link spend some alone time together, although it doesn't turn out exactly as they planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, I hope you guys enjoy!
> 
> Content warning for light degradation, breath play, rough sex/manhandling, and overstimulation. This is a smut chapter, so this should come as no surprise.
> 
> Thank you so much to [mythicanimal](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mythicanimal/pseuds/mythicanimal) and [matrimus](http://matrimus.tumblr.com/) for helping me with this.

Nothing could have prepared Rhett for what was going to happen next, and he was no longer able keep up. Link dragged Rhett out from the bathroom, one hand squeezing his wrist in a painful grip, the other wrapped in a tight fist that nearly ripped the hair from his head, and forced him onto the bed in a way that was less than gentle. 

Link pulled him up by his ankles in a bruising grip and spread him out in full view, naked and flushed, like a gift of his own making. Rhett thought Link was going to continue what he started, tearing him apart like a wild beast and claiming him as his own, but instead, Link pulled back and crossed to the center of the room, leaving Rhett to himself on the bed. 

Rhett didn’t know what he was getting himself into when he’d agreed to Link’s terms. The younger man looked like he could kill Rhett at any moment; the vicious look in his eyes portrayed an ever-present sense of dominance that translated perfectly in his posture. 

Link was going to hurt Rhett, that much was for sure. He was going to lay hands on him, bruise him and mark him if it was the last thing he ever did, and Rhett was more than willing to submit to his wishes. Rhett was so lust-drunk that all the blood had rushed to his brain, and he could no longer think coherently. 

“What am I going to do with you tonight?” Link’s voice trailed off into an audible moan as his hand moved past the waistband of his own boxers. He tugged the fabric down, pushing it past the lean muscles of his stomach, then past the thicket of hair that lie just above his pubic bone until he finally sprung free. Rhett couldn't break his eyes away, drinking in the sight of every defined dip and hillock of Link’s body. 

The moon cast a halo over Link, irradiating light against each crevice and curve of Link’s naked form, thick muscle encased in olive skin. Rhett could make out each thick vein that vined up Link's arms, the toned muscles of his thighs, his perfectly cut abdomen all the way down to the beautiful sight of his flushed cock, blushed and dripping. 

Rhett didn’t know what to expect, but a sudden twinge of excitement bled into his veins when he saw Link in his entirety. Rhett stared intently, mesmerized by the sight of Link’s still-hardening cock, a throbbing beast that paired with a blunt, wide tip to match the thick length. 

Link flashed Rhett a predatory glance and a devious grin full of jagged canines as he noticed the man’s sex-crazed stupor. Link edged his hand down to his own cock, giving the base a hard squeeze and presenting himself in full view to Rhett, pulsing hard with anticipation of what was to come. 

With Rhett seated on the bed and Link standing to attention in the middle of the room, Rhett was at eye level with the thick, pulsating flesh that crowned between Link’s legs. Pre-come dripped from the slit, and the shaft bounced in Link’s hands as he stroked himself, his head thrown back, and lightly moaned while his other hand ghosted up past his ribs to play with his nipple. 

“Beg for me, boy, and maybe I can give you what you want.” A quiet moan ripped from Link’s throat as his thumb pressed against the leaking tip of his cock. Link stepped back over to the edge of the bed next to Rhett and pulled him up by a fistful of hair, forcing Rhett to his knees to make meet his vicious gaze. 

Link’s eyes sparked like a crack of lightning, clouds of grey threatening storms and fury while his inky pupils dilated with lust. He gazed past his dark lashes as he looked down at Rhett with a carnal expression. He did this with the intention of making Rhett feel small and pathetic, and with that one look, Link told him everything he needed to know.

“Come on, Rhett, say it. Tell me what you want. Or is this too much cock for you to take?” Link spat out, intentionally trying to rile up the man seated below him. 

“I can tell you’ve never been fucked by a real man before. Look at you, cowering beneath me,” Link refused to let up on the spiteful comments as the fist wrapped in Rhett’s hair tightened more. Link’s words went straight to Rhett’s head, along with the pain that ripped through his skull at Link’s threatening grip. Rhett had never been treated like this before or even spoken to like this for that matter, and he loved every moment of it. 

“Guess it doesn’t matter, Rhett. Wanna know why? Because I’ll tear your ass apart until you can’t walk anymore. I’ll stretch your throat open until I can’t fit anymore. Like the sound of that?” Link gripped his free hand around his dick, rocking his hips slightly as the growing shaft slapped across Rhett’s cheek. 

Rhett’s eyes widened both in fear and wonder as he watched Link’s cock continue to swell, far exceeding the length of his own, at least eight inches of thick flesh flushed red with anticipation. Link gripped the base and continued to slap it across Rhett’s face, heavy against his blushed cheeks. Rhett knew there was no way he could handle Link in his entirety, no matter what position or hole Link’s cock was put into. 

Upon the sudden realization, a whimper rolled up from Rhett's chest and ripped from his vocal cords. But, in an attempt to keep the silence, to not draw attention to their room, the hand connected to Link’s cock suddenly jerked free and covered Rhett’s mouth with such a speed that Rhett had no time to react. 

”Shut your mouth, boy, or I’ll put something in there to shut you up,” Link’s words weren't a threat, but rather a promise of what was to come. Link released the hand pressed to Rhett’s mouth in favor of wrapping it around his throat, blunt nails digging into the skin. Link tilted his head to the side, and his glassy eyes brewed with anger. 

It felt like hours as they stared into each other's eyes, Rhett stuck in a lustful trance against his better judgment. Rhett could no longer tell where Link’s mind was at anymore as he tried to search Link’s eyes; his expression boiled with disgust all while competing with a bolt of desire that sparked through his veins.

Rhett stayed frozen in place, held captive by the brutal grip to the back of his head and the hand wrapped around his throat. Link’s fingers pressed roughly against the prominent vein in Rhett’s neck, putting enough pressure to cut off a small amount of circulation. 

The fact that Rhett’s life was in Link’s hands, that one simple push of the wrist could end it all for him, never once slipped Rhett’s mind. Link’s fingers suddenly dug into Rhett’s scalp, nearly piercing the skin with his fingers, and earned a choked whine from Rhett that dared to creep past his lips. 

“Be a good boy for me tonight, or else you won’t get to come.” 

Rhett’s eyes widened and teared up at Link’s more than serious threat, pouting his lips in desperation as he nodded his head in agreement. He wanted nothing more than to be pleasured by the man that stood tall above him, so Rhett was not going to test Link tonight. Especially not when Link looked down at him so maliciously, as if a demon lay dormant behind those eyes of his. 

Link released his hands from Rhett’s head entirely, lowering them both to Rhett’s broad shoulders as he squeezed the patch of flesh there and kneaded roughly. 

“Wanna know a secret, Rhett?” Link mused, voice growing soft. Rhett repeated his last movements, nodding his head in agreement. “I’ve touched myself to the thought of you so many times while I laid right next to you. Now I have you all to myself, all mine,” Link admitted his filthy confession, his teeth catching against his bottom lip as he bit down hard. 

On any other day, Rhett would have felt uneasy about such a straightforward comment like that, but something about the way Link spoke to him, those words flowing off his tongue so provocatively, only made Rhett more keyed up. A flush of warmth rose from Rhett’s cheeks and quickly spread to his chest, shooting straight down to his cock, making it twitch excitedly. 

“You’re all mine now, Rhett. You belong to me now, and you’re never leaving me. Come on, pretty boy. I want to hear you say it,” Link demanded as his teeth grit together. Link was crossing a line with those comments, but Rhett could no longer think straight, completely lust-drunk and desperately craving to be fucked, for every hole in his body to be stretched, to be filled and marked with Link’s come like he belonged to him. 

“I’m all yours, Link,” Rhett’s breathlessly replied, voice still hoarse. He was growing harder by the second, cock blushing red and dripping with anticipation, begging to be touched. “Fuck, please,”

“What’s wrong, boy? Use your words,” Link devilishly teased. Link slid his thumb under Rhett’s neck, hooking it beneath his chin, using it as leverage to lift Rhett’s attention back to him once more. Rhett could do nothing but stare, feeling like he was burning alive underneath his skin. Once their eyes met and Rhett saw that familiar brooding look on Link’s face, that strong and commanding aura that lie behind his expression, he fell apart completely. 

“Please, Link,” Rhett stuttered, tripping over his own words. 

“Fuck me please, as hard as you can,” he paused. “Please, I can take it. I promise. I’m yours. I’ll do anything you ask me to, just please don’t be gentle,” Rhett couldn’t speak anymore, nearly choking on his own tongue. He moaned on a single exhale, air pushing out of his lungs until they became breathless whines. 

Rhett shifted his position on the bed to feel less constrictive, spreading his knees apart a bit more to reveal his thick length that begged to be touched. Link’s eyes shifted down, and after a long while, Link bent forward and finally trailed his hand down Rhett’s chest, dancing past his ribs, and pressed it against Rhett’s cock. 

Rhett’s legs tensed up, causing his knees to press inward out of reflex, but Link held him in place by a firm grasp to his inner thigh. He began to squeeze and gently pump at the warm flesh between Rhett’s legs, massaging the base gently at first, allowing Rhett to rock his hips into it. 

Rhett let his head fall back, along with his eyes that rolled into his skull, relaxing his body under the persistent strokes from Link, allowing the warmth and pleasure flood into his veins. Rhett bit hard against his lips, digging his teeth into the skin to prevent the moans that were desperate to rip from his lips.

Link seemed more than amused at the other man’s reactions, his poor attempts at hiding his pleasure, laughing wickedly under his breath. 

Rhett’s eyes slid shut, and he let a soft whimper slip past his lips. Link didn’t seem to notice, instead just applying more pressure to his hand and pumping with a tighter grip, making Rhett’s hips rock desperately as if they had a mind of their own, as if his only wish then was to feel all that delicious friction that Link was providing. 

Link moved his head a bit so that the side of it was touching Rhett’s cheek, before leaning forward and biting roughly at the patch of skin between his right shoulder. Link wanted to sink his teeth into Rhett like he was his last meal, but he dialed himself back, he had to. He was already so consciously aware of the noise from the two of them was beginning to grow in volume. The tip of Rhett’s cock dribbled with pre-come, and Link rubbed his fingers across the slit, then back down his length to coat it with the slick wetness. 

“Please,” Rhett whined helplessly, nearly in tears. Link became agonizingly fast with his rhythm, providing an almost painful pressure to the base of Rhett’s cock. Rhett reached his arms out to Link’s shoulders to stabilize his shaking body; he was already so close to coming, and Link had barely touched him. 

Link growled into Rhett’s neck, continuing to bite against his throat, nipping bits of the skin along the way, his tongue darting out every so often to drag against it. 

“Bite harder, please,” Rhett started, the words shakily slipping past his lips as he tried to control his breathing. Link pulled off Rhett for only a moment and furrowed his brows, peering down at the man below him with an expression that portrayed an obvious annoyance. 

“Do not tell me what to do,” Link growled as his fingers seized tightly at the taller man’s member, wrapping around it like a death trap. Instead of crying out in pain, Rhett moaned desperately and rutted his hips in the air in pleasure. The wild and unrestrained behavior was enough to make Link pause briefly, focusing his attention back up to Rhett’s eyes. Rhett’s expression was a combination of determination and desire; his cheeks and chest blossomed rosy pink as the heat of pleasure bled into his veins. 

“Link, please. I need you to bite harder,” Rhett’s ignored Link's previous demands, and his shaky hand found its way to the back of Link’s head, pressing him back into the column of flesh that Link had previously attacked. 

Instead, Link kept his attention focused on his grasp, skillfully working and curving his hand up and down the length of Rhett’s shaft. One hand became two as Link gripped both around Rhett’s cock, stroking him in an almost brutal pace. Rhett was losing himself to the touch, rocking his hips up into it almost reflexively, desperate for Link’s attention. 

The taller man nearly pierced the skin of his bottom lip as he bit back moans that were trying to wrench from his lungs. Link opened his mouth to speak again, but was interrupted once more, “Please, Link, I’m begging you."

A wave of power sparked through Link’s body like electricity, rolling like a storm that howled and tore through with destructive energy. Link had never in his life heard a man speak his name with such need and desperation, and he absolutely loved it. Rhett was so willing, and Link was going to use that to his advantage.

Link could practically smell Rhett’s desire in the sweat of his skin, in the lust that dripped from him in waves. Link was reaching his breaking point too and made that abundantly clear in his actions when he finally pushed Rhett back against the mattress and pulled his legs from under his knees to spread him back out. 

Mirroring Rhett’s actions, Link climbed on the bed as he slammed himself on top of Rhett, using the weight of his body as a restraint. Link pressed one hand to Rhett’s hip to stabilize him, grabbing so tightly he could feel Rhett’s pulse in his hand and see the bruises that were beginning to form, while the other continued to aggressively stroke Rhett’s cock. 

“That feel good? Hm?” Link’s voice bellowed into Rhett’s ears, with a husky and deep tone that tore from his vocal cords. A whimper crept past Rhett’s bruised lips, squeezed between his teeth, and it ripped from his mouth with such a desperate fervor that Link was more than pleased to hear. 

Link bent at the waist, pressing his lips against the same patch of skin on Rhett’s neck that he had assaulted earlier. His mouth curved into a mischievous grin pressed against the flesh, before sinking his teeth deeply into the skin. 

White-knuckled against the sheets, Rhett clenched the fabric in his hands, trying desperately to grab on to anything to control himself, to not scream and cry out like he so desperately wanted to. 

Link kept his mouth clamped to Rhett’s neck, leaving a patch of bruises that would be hard to explain later, pressing their bodies so tightly against one another they threatened to break. Link jerked at Rhett’s cock at such a violent pace, he knew it would finally push him over the edge. Giving a few more frantic strokes to the man below him, Link finally heard a stifled gasp roll up from Rhett’s throat. 

The hand that was pressed to Rhett’s cock suddenly ghosted up to squeeze over Rhett’s mouth again, muting all the delicious noises that had rolled off his tongue; Rhett spasmed through his orgasm, mewling and whining into Link’s hand, tightening his grip on the sheets, trying desperately not to lose himself in all the sensations that wrenched through his body. 

Link lifted his head from Rhett’s neck, sitting at attention, and watched as Rhett came all over himself, so pathetically and desperately as his body writhed and shook violently through his orgasm. Ropes of come shot out, spreading thickly across Rhett’s belly and painting his hot skin. Rhett gasped for air, lungs contracting hard as he forgot how to breathe, and his vision went white around the edges. 

He came down from his high moments later, and Link finally released his hand from Rhett’s mouth. 

“You’ve had your fun, Rhett. It’s my turn now,” Link didn’t give Rhett even a moment’s notice as he lifted himself off the bed, pulling Rhett along with him by a fistful of hair and threw him on the floor. 

“On your knees, boy. Gonna fuck your mouth hard,” Link demanded, immediately shoving his thumb into Rhett’s mouth to make his jaw slack. Rhett was still so dazed and disoriented but instinctually submitted to Link’s commands. Rhett pressed his flushed lips against the tip, pushing the head into the wet heat of his mouth. Link was so much bigger than Rhett, so he knew this would be no easy feat. 

Rhett swallowed around the head, reaching halfway from the base, before he started bobbing his head, feeling every thick vein and ridge of Link’s pulsating cock across his tongue. As Rhett continued to swallow more and more of Link’s cock down his throat, Link’s grip to the back of Rhett’s head grew tighter, and Link let a soft moan of praise roll up from his throat. 

“Let’s see if you can take it a little bit harder,” Link released the grip from the back of Rhett’s head, and roughly grabbed the sides of his face, pressing his thumbs into the hollows of Rhett’s cheeks. 

Pulling Rhett off his cock to position himself better, Link spread his legs wider, then continued to fuck into the heat of his mouth. Saliva dripped from the corners of Rhett’s lips, and his eyes rolled into his head while Link proceeded to take him and claim him, the same way he planned to claim his ass later. He fucked into Rhett’s mouth, rutting his hips forward aggressively, pushing deeper with each unrelenting thrust. 

“You like that, hm? You sure you can handle it all?” Link teased, grinning as Rhett choked when the tip hit the back of his throat, sending the vibrations straight to his cock. With a hard thrust, Link pushed himself entirely down Rhett’s throat, sheathing his length in the warmth, and squeezed Rhett’s head tight to keep him in place. 

“Looks like pretty boy got a mouth for taking cock,” Link praised. 

Pulling back almost entirely, Link let Rhett suck on the tip as a quick tease, before thrusting back in and burying himself inside until Rhett’s nose pressed against the thicket of hair that crowned above his cock. Rhett could feel Link beginning to pulse underneath his tongue, and he knew the other man was close to coming. 

“You ready? Gonna fill you up, mark you with my come. You’re all mine now, Rhett,” Link thrust at a brutal pace, causing Rhett’s lips to catch against his teeth, and Link’s body violently convulsed when he finally came. 

He pulled out, shooting ropes of come into Rhett’s mouth and across his face, landing on his beard and in his hair. Rhett moaned when it came into contact with his lips, licking up what did drip on his tongue. 

The shorter man’s chest heaved, breathlessly moaning as his body trembled, powering through the climax that pulsed through his body. 

“Get your ass back on the bed,” Link commanded, out of breath and disorientated as he was still riding out the compressing waves of his orgasm. Link took a few minutes to himself to recuperate before proceeding. 

Rhett did just as he was told, making his way over to the bed and spreading himself back out. A low growl rumbled from Link’s chest like a roll of thunder, and he drew near his prey, stalking toward the bed like the wild beast he was. 

Link reached forward to push Rhett by the neck into the mattresses, gripping his other hand into the sheets and settled himself between Rhett’s legs. In a vulgar display, Link spat in his hand and coated it around his entire length. 

Other than the strained breath that wrenched from his lungs, Rhett didn’t dare make noise. He had already seen the aggressive virility of the other man, and he was not going to test his limits. 

Feeling the wide tip of Link’s cock nudging against his hole, Rhett willed himself to not tense his body as Link applied more pressure. When the ring of muscle began to stretch, it gave way to a shock of pain that ripped through Rhett’s body like a crack of lightning. 

Link only laughed at the other man’s reaction as the first few inches pressed inside him. Link hadn’t prepped Rhett before this, but there was more than enough spit between the two of them to ease himself in. 

Reaching a hand down and placing it against Rhett’s abdomen, Link shoved his body deeper into the mattress. He nearly pulled out, just a few inches past the tip, before slamming back inside. Rhett whined as he rutted his hips up, spreading his legs out further. Taking that as an invitation, Link began to speed up his pace, rutting back and forth with a steady rhythm. 

The two were beginning to make more noise, grunts and curses from Rhett in particular, to which Link responded by shutting Rhett up with a hard kiss on his lips. Rhett moaned through the feverish embrace and wrapped his legs around Link’s waist, trapped against the bed as Link fucked mercilessly into him. 

Rhett loved how forceful and aggressive Link was, how his nails dug into his hips and left divots in the skin, how Link buried himself so deep Rhett could feel the tip pressing against his prostate. 

Squeezing his eyes shut, Link started to fuck relentlessly into Rhett, brutally fast as he pinned the taller man down to take in every inch of the warm heat that sheathed his cock. 

Link took what belonged to him, bending forward as his cock came into hard contact with Rhett’s prostate, causing Rhett to clench tightly around him and moan into his mouth again. Link repeated that action, over and over until Rhett’s moans turned into desperate whines and slurred curses of pleasure and his body shook violently. Both men had met their undoing, though Link would be the last to admit that. 

“Link, look at me, please,” Rhett breathlessly pleaded, pulling away from their kiss. Link’s eyes flickered opened, completely unmindful, as he caught up with Rhett, and Link knew instantly that he had made a mistake. 

Link was always so good at meticulously devising plans for himself, but nothing could have prepared him for what was to come. 

He noticed Rhett’s gaze, meeting up with those eyes of his, those beautiful, glassy green eyes. Olive tendrils encased his pupils, filling up his iris like the depths of a forest. His eyes were the sparkle through the leaves when the sun hit the trees during golden hour. They seemed to stare into the depths of Link’s soul and pull gently at the dusty, unused strings of his heart. 

Rhett had the most revered look on his face, like Link was the only person that existed as their surroundings melted away, like he was the only one who mattered. Link couldn’t think straight, couldn’t speak, and couldn’t break his eyes away from Rhett no matter how hard he tried, like Rhett was pulling him in by a cord. 

For the very first time in his life, Link noticed the glow and the warmth of someone’s soul reflecting through their eyes. He saw all the kindness in the world reflecting from Rhett’s gaze, and though kind, his eyes also revealed the pain and sadness that remained present behind them. 

The moon flooded light into their room from the window and graced Rhett’s face, casting a halo across his head, and Link finally had a revelation then, one that hit him full force like a kick to the gut. 

Link hated the way Rhett looked at him. He also hated that he couldn’t look away. 

Rhett looked like an angel then, while Link was the Devil himself, chained to the depths of hell. 

Link knew he was a bad person, a vile and evil man who did nothing but hurt others. He hated himself more than anything. 

But something about Rhett, the way he looked at him with such deep respect that he had never noticed until now, something about the way he treated Link like a human being, how Rhett was always kind to him, and only him, just for the sake of being kind, all came to mind, and wrenched at his insides, almost making him sick. 

Link didn’t deserve this, he knew that, and more importantly, he didn’t deserve Rhett. 

The thoughts still plagued him no matter how much he tried to will them away. He thought about the kindness behind Rhett’s eyes, the kindness he had continued to take advantage of, and for a fleeting moment, a short lapse in time, he felt something. 

That moment was cut short when Rhett reached his peak a second time, pulling Link into a desperate kiss to stifle his moans, and came only moments later. It knocked Link out of his daze and brought him back into the rhythmic thrusting of their two bodies as Rhett rode out the rolling waves of another orgasm. 

Link slumped forward onto Rhett’s chest and had to focus on his breathing, his mind was racing, and he was still desperate for more. Usually, Link wouldn’t allow anyone to share a moment like this with him, but he was already so emotionally and physically spent he couldn’t put up that facade anymore. 

He also couldn’t help but look back up to Rhett, noticing the same reverent look he saw from him earlier and wondered for a brief moment if Rhett would touch him, would have him and take him in the same way. If Rhett’s hands would move across his chest and run over every inch of bare skin, touch Link like he was as fragile as glass, press his lips against his flesh, whispering silent praises.

“Link,” Rhett’s voice trailed off into nothing, and the moment Link heard his name roll off of Rhett’s tongue again, so sweet and smooth, a flood of repressed emotions came rushing out. Before Rhett had a moment to react, Link was kissing him again, but it wasn’t rough like before, but rather soft and gentle, and it went by so fast, neither of them could keep up. Link grabbed at Rhett's shoulders and rolled him to his side, then on top, the taller man fitting perfectly between his legs. 

“What are you doing?” Rhett broke from the kiss, voice cracking and sounding spent, just like the rest of him. 

“I want you to be on top, please,” Rhett was shocked at that response; he had never seen Link like this before, never seen him so weak for another person, wanting to be touched so desperately and with such raw emotion and need in his voice. 

Rhett did as he was told, taking Link’s hands and pinning them above his head then releasing them, anchoring his body against the smaller man’s and pressing his weight against Link’s chest. 

In a gentle gesture, Rhett moved down to remove Link’s glasses, revealing the pools of blue that burned into him with an abrupt intensity. Rhett placed his hands against Link’s ribs, moving upward until they were placed over his heart, feeling it beat hard in his chest, threatening to burst from his very being. 

The two remained locked in each other’s gazes before Rhett moved forward to kiss him again. He inched his way down Link’s lips, past his jaw, until he reached the defined dips and curves of his collarbone and placed kisses as soft as butterfly wings against his flesh. He kissed every inch of skin; Link’s neck, chest, and stomach all felt the warm and gentle press of Rhett’s lips, and Link’s heart nearly caved in on itself at the unyielding admiration Rhett provided to him. 

Link felt his heart tighten in his chest, similar to a panic attack, and his eyes began welling with tears. Not the fake tears he would use so often, but ones paired with real, raw emotion that burst forth from his body, flooding from him like a river. He hadn’t experienced emotions this strong since he was much younger, and he still didn’t understand why he was experiencing them now. It was all-consuming, burning passionately inside his heart in a way that he had never felt before. 

Link pulled Rhett back up into a tender embrace and moaned into the heat of Rhett’s mouth. Rhett’s hands continued to move up and down Links body, so softly and delicately, showing Link that he was nothing more than a gentle giant. 

Heat ripped through Link’s body, buried deep underneath his skin. Rhett’s name left Link’s lips in the form of gasps and whimpers as the two kept their closeness. Link was completely broken down, stripped bare in his entirety. 

Rhett smiled softly at Link before positioning himself properly between his legs, lifting Link’s up and pushing into him, slow and steady. 

“Link,” Rhett paused, fighting tears himself. “Thank you so much.”

Link finally lost himself then, years and years of repressed emotions and memories, let out through a choked sob. The floodgates finally opened, and his lashes brimmed heavy with tears. Rhett wiped the tears away, but nothing would cease the heavy stream that rolled down Link’s cheeks. 

It took a long while before the two reached another climax, Rhett crying out Link’s name as they held each other through their orgasm, both shuddering and shaking from intense sensations that wrenched their bodies. 

When they finally came down from their mutual high, Link kissed him, commanding and powerful. Rhett smiled into the kiss and ran his fingers across Link’s cheeks, thumb pressed gently against the skin. 

The two wrapped each other into a tender embrace, warm from the skin to skin contact, and for the first time in forever, they both felt at peace. 

Rhett lulled into a slumber first, to which Link followed behind shortly after. He didn’t have trouble falling asleep this time around, with the gentle soul that lay next to him. 

Unfortunately for Link, the night wasn’t even close to being over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to scream at me in the comments.


	6. Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link has a dream he can't escape from.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Major trigger warnings in this chapter including graphic depictions of past physical abuse and emotional abuse, blood and violence, self-harm, past character death, hallucinations, delusions, and brief religious undertones. Read with caution.
> 
> Also to let it be known, this chapter is a dream sequence, however, it is implied these events also occurred outside of Link's nightmare.

Sleeping next to Rhett that night, drifting off into a deep slumber, Link felt like he was in Heaven; he was sure of it now. 

But with every saint, there is always a sinner, and Link was no exception to that. Those bright and beautiful angel wings were ripped from his back, bloody and bruised, and he was pushed down from the Divine; a hand pressed on his broken body, shackling his leg and dragging him to Earth.

He was falling, and down he went. He landed on his hands and knees, the ground soft beneath him. Fear licked at his skin, visceral in his bones, and he shuddered along with it. Something tethered to his body, sharp like barbed wire, pulling at his skin, dragging him into the darkness. It took its chokehold on him, squeezing the life out of him, all-consuming, ridding him of all his lost dreams and hopeless desires, until he was nothing. 

Link didn’t know where he was anymore. He was with Rhett just a moment ago, sleeping peacefully in his embrace, clutched close to the warmth. Now, he was being suffocated by the emptiness, cold and afraid, as if he were trapped in an empty room with no way out. 

Was this a dream? 

He was almost sure it wasn’t. It all felt too real, and he hadn’t dreamt like this since he was a child. 

He was drowning in the chasm, pitch black, nothing there to ground him. The demons came out to play and screamed inside his head, bellowing in his ears. The blood of the slain stained his hands and smothered his lungs. Panic unfurled in his chest, wrenching his body until he became breathless; he couldn’t see, couldn’t move, couldn’t do anything but scream, nearly cracking his ribs, yet nothing seemed to come out. The jagged cords cut into him, tearing him apart both in body and in mind. 

He tried to block it out. But the voices taunted him, unwilling to let him rest. They reminded him of everything he had done in his life, all the wrong, all the people he had hurt. 

They mocked him as they showed him the person he’d become, repeating their refrain over and over until he could recite it by heart. The panic remained tethered to him, relentlessly so. His stomach wrenched, and bile forced its way from his throat, black ichor, the blood of a demon, spilling past cracked lips. 

The floor caved in beneath his feet; he was unsure of what was below, though he couldn’t bring himself to open his eyes. He was much too weak. The pain was relentless, and the tears would not cease. 

He felt a chain wrap around his wrists, shaking him until he was on all fours, dragging him away into the unknown. He sobbed, tears stinging behind his eyelids. He felt as though his lungs could give out at any moment, and there was nobody there to help him anymore. The blood that dripped from his mouth dried and cracked against his skin; it was all he could smell, all he could taste. 

Then there was silence. No more screaming, no more crying, no more pain—just a deafening silence that followed. 

Link's eyes flickered open, blinking a few times, still trying to calm down. He tried to breathe as deeply as he could, lungs scraping against ribs. It took a while, but he was able to ground himself. 

When his vision came back to him, he realized where he was. A familiar rural city, houses scattered about in a quiet neighborhood. 

He was being brought back to his childhood. 

This was the last thing he wanted; this was the hell he tried to escape for years. The memories and bonds he made through his life with friends, family, and lovers. He didn’t understand why this was happening, why he couldn’t just wake up, why he couldn’t escape. He didn’t want to face this, but nothing he tried would bring him to consciousness.

The demons brought him to a familiar spot, a park he spent his alone time at when he was younger, and told him to go play. Link couldn’t process his surroundings anymore, instead choosing to heed the advice from the voices in his head. He sat on the edge of a swing, knocking his long legs forward then bringing his ankles behind. 

He closed his eyes, breathing in the humid air, the familiar scent of honeydew and grass. An image of his family flickered in his mind, and he felt his heart cave in, cut deep with an edged blade, bleeding into his ribcage. He gripped the chains of the swing, squeezing tighter to hold back the flood of tears that threaten to creep past his lids, but it was useless. 

He missed them.

But they were gone now. 

He was always alone, even as a child. 

And he only ever desired to be loved, to feel the touch of a human being, the warmth of affection, but it was never received. 

So he grew bitter. 

Link swung high, bringing his feet to the sky as if he could float away at any moment. He felt like a child again. It felt nice, if only for a short moment. Then he fell off, crashing hard into the gravel and scraping his elbows. The tears flowed freely, but they weren’t from the pain. He tumbled then rolled on to the ground and suddenly couldn’t breathe. 

People gathered around him, asking what was wrong. But there wasn’t an answer for that. Everything hurt. His chest threatened to burst at any moment, and his bones ached, his ears rung until the air filled with static.

He tried to close his eyes, to pretend he no longer existed, as if he were dead, like he so desperately wanted to be. 

It worked for a while. 

But when his eyes ripped open on their own accord, he was suddenly brought into a different path of his life, into another forgotten memory. 

In the presence of his ex-lover. 

A lover whose kisses tasted like blood and stung like cheap liquor. A man who made Link believe that love did not exist, rather it was a lethal disease that stripped Link bare of everything, destroying him from the inside out and transforming him into the evil he was today. 

Link was met with the image of this familiar man, fire behind his raging eyes, with a presence portraying wild and unrestrained anger. 

He found himself cowered in the corner of his bedroom, in the once-familiar surroundings of his old apartment. Link felt small and pathetic, arms shaking as he clung to his weakened body. His lover's eyes fumed with anger, and Link had never felt more fearful in his entire life. 

The man screamed in Link’s face, reverberating through Link’s bones, bellowing in his eardrums, and showed no signs of letting up. He saw Link’s weakened form, how Link shuddered and shook like a frightened animal, smothered by his sobs, and only took it to his advantage. 

This horrible night five years ago that would haunt Link for the rest of his life began with nothing more than drunken argument. Those happened quite frequently in their relationship. 

Link was with someone who didn’t understand his past nor his present and didn’t care to learn. Someone who treated Link’s instability and neurotic mind like a nuisance and only used it to take advantage of his broken psyche, winding Link up like a toy, using him over and over, until he was completely useless. 

This happened more often than Link would ever admit. But, he had no choice but to stay. As long as his lover was in control, it didn’t matter. He did everything to pull Link down with him, to claim him irrevocably and to make sure nobody took Link away from him. It was never about what Link wanted, either. He would kiss Link, poisoning his body, as he forced him to drag his feet in the dirt. 

When Link was actually with this man all those years ago, he remembered telling himself he couldn’t live without him, that he loved him too much and that’s why Link endured the pain he did. That he couldn’t go on without him, or he would be all alone with those voices again. Link truly meant absolutely nothing to him, and he came to realize that a bit too late. Otherwise, Link wouldn’t have allowed his lover to beat him until he was bloody and bruised, or cut him and burn his skin like a canvas. 

That poor, sad soul always excused his lover’s volatile and disgusting behavior, too. Link would only ever remember the hugs and kisses that came after the pain. The smiles and sweet touches that followed the beatings. But they were always a lie. 

This man would still remind Link every day that he did everything for them, that Link was worthless and useless, unloveable to everyone except for him, and that if Link could not do something as simple as a household task, cooking or cleaning, he deserved all the repercussions that came with it. 

Voices grew into shouts, scolds into insults as the vision of a repressed memory came into full view in front of Link’s eyes. 

“I’m sorry!” Link’s voice broke, sounding hoarse and wrecked. 

“Sorry fixes nothing. I don’t fucking care if you’re sorry! You’re such a fuck up, Link. That’s all you ever do around here, fuck everything up,” The man shook in rage, his tone more than threatening. 

Link’s body sunk to the floor, falling to his side as he brought his legs up to his chest defensively. 

“Please stop yelling at me!” Link choked on the sobs stuck in his throat, his lungs constricting from exertion. Link had never felt so unsafe; yet already knew what was to come.

“Maybe if you did something right for once in your life I wouldn’t be like this. Just shut up already, quit fucking crying!” The man was no longer yelling, but his voice still seethed with disdain and anger, fists clenched to his sides. 

“I’m sorry. Please, just calm down-“

“Shut the fuck up!”

Link grunted and cried out when a fist connected with his cheekbone, splitting the skin wide open. He cradled his hand against his face, eyes stinging like fire. But it didn’t end there. 

A foot met with his ribs, over and over, until he could no longer breathe, until his the skin where his ribcage was encased was bruised, and his saliva tasted of iron, spit crawling past his dry lips. The pain was relentless, even in this false reality, he could feel absolutely everything again. He tried to drag himself away, but his stomach seized up from the pain, and he wretched, regurgitated an unpleasant combination of vomit and blood on the ground. 

The tears flooded from his lids, drowning him as he cried and twitched until his body wouldn't stop, until his eyes rolled into his skull, and his legs were effectively locked. The burning sensation of a broken rib was unbearably painful; Link clawed at himself, trying to stop it, to cease the fire that was spreading into his veins and eating him alive.

Link curled up, hands clenching his stomach, trying to stifle the sobs that ripped from his throat and beg for it to stop. 

Forcing his eyes open once more, Link met with the gaze of his lover, who now had a terrified look on his face, as if he had come to the realization of what he had just done to Link, and leaned down to cradle Link to his chest.

“Link, I’m so sorry,” He brought Link into his embrace, squeezing him tightly, which brought forth a shock of pain that ripped through Link’s ribs, spreading outward to his spine.

“I need to leave, please,” Link begged, lying helpless and captive.

“No, you don’t. You’re fine, baby. I’ll take care of you, okay? Everything is okay. I love you.” 

Link knew that wasn’t true. 

You don’t hurt the ones you love. 

And he had never been hit that hard before in his life, never felt that much pain. Before that night, he always felt like he deserved to be hurt. That maybe he was as worthless as he felt, that maybe he should just do what he was told for once. 

But tonight was different. 

“Talk to me, Link. Tell me you’re okay,” His lover shook him, nearly forcing the entirety of Link’s lungs out of his throat, and sputtered specks of blood across the man’s face. Link was so disorientated and distraught, broken down in both body and mind, on the verge of losing all self-control. 

“I-It’s okay. I forgive you.” Link’s voice broke, throat raw from misuse, voice shattered from the sobs and screams. He sounded empty, so lifeless and unhappy. 

He received a reassuring kiss on his forehead, making him flinch, and his body draw back in response.

“Let’s go get you cleaned up. Get you some pain meds and some bandages to hide that gash on your face. Don’t tell anyone about this. They wouldn’t understand, they don’t know how much I love you, how much I care about you. I love you so much, Link. Don’t ever forget that. Be good for me next time, okay?”

Link nodded his head in agreement.

“This won’t happen ever again, I promise.”

He was right, it wouldn’t happen again; Link would make sure of that.

Link remembered being carried to their room and set on the bed. Once the door was closed, there was nothing that could be done. Link remembered the pills shoved down his throat, the ones he would force back up into the toilet later that night. 

Then the rivulets of crimson that streamed down his arms as the blades drew across his wrists when he cut himself on that dirty bathroom floor. He always thought one day maybe he wouldn’t be so clumsy with it. Link was so scared, so afraid. He didn't know how to fix this, how to leave. The demons bellowed and howled, a cacophony of noises and screams, telling him to end it, no matter what the cost.

Link stood back in the doorway of the bathroom, staring at the sleeping body of his lover, a disgusting and wretched man, who, nowadays, Link would have compared to himself. 

In this world, some people are born evil; then there those who are damaged, destroyed and broken until they become that way. Link was no exception to that rule. 

He remembered ending up in the kitchen, steel knife in hand. Then back to the bathroom, the blade pressed to his throat, ready to take his own life. 

But he didn’t do it. Instead, he chose a different path for his life. 

He couldn’t do it anymore, couldn’t live like that anymore. 

Everything around him felt so disgusting, and his world faded to black and white. 

So, Link knew it had been okay when he decided to kill his lover, to plunge that knife deep into the chest of that vile man, over and over, smothering his screams with a pillow, as if he wasn’t choking on the blood that flooded his lungs already. 

It was all okay, and Link knew that. What he did was perfectly fine, at least in his head it was. Hurting him made Link feel so alive. Even when the life drained from the man’s eyes, he still drove the blade into his body. Tearing into him like an animal would their prey, finally ridding himself of all of his problems.

The blood smeared the bedsheets, splattered against the walls, and soaked Link’s hands. He dropped the blade on the bed and stared down at the lifeless corpse below him. 

For the first time in his life, he didn’t hurt.

Instead, he felt nothing, and it stayed that way. 

This was how he ended up where he was today, the poor thing, shackled to a room and strapped to his hospital bed. Maybe not literally, but it often felt that way. He became a facsimile of the Devil, locked away from the outside world and in his own personal hell, away from anyone he could ever hurt again. 

So that was the story of Link Neal, the one he would remained burdened with, cursed to follow him around for the rest of his life, torturing his long lost soul.

* * *

The morning sun crept past the windows, bleeding light against the bare walls of their room. Link woke up shortly after, free from his hellish nightmare, and was pleasantly greeted by Rhett’s warm and tender expression. Rhett had been up long before he had been, apparently. The taller man had his arms extended, wrapped around Link’s waist and his head buried against his chest. 

Rhett’s smile then was one of the softest Link had ever seen. Link reached his hand out hesitantly and spread his fingers across Rhett’s left arm, running them down the branching veins, feeling that same sweet feeling of contentment as he did last night, at peace once more. 

But that did not last for long as those much too familiar voices crept inside his brain. 

_Just do it already, he’s ours now. We can hurt him._

“Are you feeling okay?” Rhett mumbled, still sounding fairly exhausted. Link snapped out of his daze as he tried to bring himself back to reality. He hated himself then, hated how he started to get like this at the most inconvenient times. 

Those voices always reminded him of what he already knew. That he would always be this way, would always bring harm to others. Nobody would be able to break down those walls he had built so carefully around himself. He didn’t know what to say or how to speak to Rhett without hurting him, that was just who he was as a person, and nothing would ever change that. 

“Link?” Rhett called to Link gently, trying to draw him in closer. Rhett extended his hand up and rested it gently against Link’s cheek, causing Link to flinch and pull away in response.

The thoughts grew in volume inside of Link’s head, nothing even remotely appropriate to say at that moment. Link kept his silence, instead just giving Rhett a nod in agreement to his previous question, waiting for his response. Rhett pulled him into a tight embrace, and Link’s body went slack. He didn’t want to be held; he just wanted to escape. 

What happened last night might have been a huge mistake, and Link was beginning to realize that. It seemed as though when Rhett found himself another corner of Link’s mind the night before, pulling out emotions that he hadn’t felt in years, it finally pushed him Link past the edge. He was completely and utterly unhinged now. 

Rhett twined his fingers between Link’s, providing a comforting touch, trying to pull him away from the chasm in his mind. Although it didn’t work too well, he did it with the right intentions in mind. 

“What’s on your mind? Talk to me, Link,” Rhett clearly wouldn't let the subject rest. 

If only it were that easy. Rhett was trying to pick at Link’s brain, get inside of his head and see how he honestly felt. But Link couldn’t do that, not now. He couldn’t risk it with all the unpleasant repercussions it would create; he just wanted to keep Rhett safe from him.

_Just take him, he’s ours now, isn’t he? It would be so easy to wrap those hands of yours around his throat and squeeze the life from his body._

Link screwed his eyes shut, trying to focus on absolutely anything else at that moment. “There’s nothing on my mind, I’m fine.” For the first time, Link had trouble lying to someone, and Rhett could see right through him, furrowing his brows in disappointment.

“I can tell you’re not. But it’s okay, whether or not you want to talk about it, I’m here for you,”

He wanted to believe Rhett, he really did. But the last time someone told Link they would be there for him, they died by his own hands. At the same time, he wanted Rhett. He wanted Rhett so badly, bordering on an obsession. He wanted to take him and claim him, just like his thoughts urged him to do so. He wanted to make Rhett feel like he was the only person he would ever need, the only one he would ever love. Rhett made Link feel better about himself, in his seemingly worthless excuse of an existence. Who was he to not take advantage of that, of him? 

All of those thoughts muddled into his brain; it was unbearably loud, consuming him from the inside out, eating away at his bones. He was fucked up, and he knew that for a fact. A part of him wanted to change for Rhett, but he knew it would never happen.

“Don’t ask me again. I said I’m okay.” Link’s voice went cold again, and his eyes glazed over with a familiar emptiness. That didn’t seem to steer Rhett away from their gentle embrace, though. He leaned closer to the smaller man and rested his head between the crook of Link’s neck, nose pressed to his collarbone. Link wanted so desperately to touch him in return, but he could no longer trust himself. 

Link’s hands shook and trembled, and all he could think about was hurting Rhett. Maybe taking that razor left on the floor and gutting him like a fish, or smothering him until he choked on his own tongue. 

His self-restraint had weakened, only getting worse as the days went on. He was barely able to control himself and the volatile images that brewed inside his mind. Link knew he would ruin Rhett, and nothing would stop him from doing so. That was all he was ever good for, hurting others and destroying lives. 

Rhett grew concerned with Link’s silence and his refusal for help. Warm, gentle hands rested on Link’s bare shoulders, soothing his shaking body and helping him stabilize his heaving breath. 

Bless his heart. Rhett was so good to him, only ever wanting Link to feel better again, to be happier. But Link knew very well he didn’t deserve it. He had nothing to give, yet Rhett wanted to give him everything. It almost reminded Link of how used to be.

The only response to come from Link was to hold his body still in Rhett’s arms, not daring to move from where he was. As much as he tried to hold it back, the fear and pain started to spread through his body and ripped past his lips in the form of a silent sob. 

A stream of tears fell, one after another, showing no signs of stopping. He smashed his head against Rhett’s chest to muffle the noises that wracked against his ribs, and his voice melted into Rhett’s skin as the painful emotions slammed against him. 

Rhett coddled Link as he cried against his chest, kissing away the tears that stained his cheeks, whispering gentle praises into Link’s skin. 

“It’s going to be okay, I promise. I’m here with you.” 

Link sobbed uncontrollably, his whole body convulsing until his chest felt as though it could cave in and shatter, and seething pain clawed at his throat. He stabilized himself with his arm against Rhett’s shoulder, pulling him so close their ribs threatened to break. 

There was a small part of Link, buried deep down in that ashy soul of his, that cared for the other man. He only hoped with an ounce of conviction that he wouldn’t bring harm to Rhett, but there was never a guarantee of that. He needed to get away from Rhett, leave him alone, and rid himself of his existence so that he wouldn't put Rhett in any more danger. 

But he couldn’t bring himself to do that. 

He wanted to stay. He had to. 

But that meant Rhett would have to die. 

“Rhett, please just stay here with me.”

“I’ll stay with you. I promise.”


	7. Ghost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rhett begins to contemplate his relationship with Link.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! If you enjoy longer chapters, then this one will be a real treat for you. Trigger warnings for a brief scene of implied self-harm, physical violence, blood, and mentions of hallucinations/delusions.
> 
> Thank you to [mythicanimal](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mythicanimal/pseuds/mythicanimal) for beta reading!

Poor Link. He really was starting to lose his mind, wasn’t he? Not that he was ever really all there in the first place. It seemed as though the more time he spent with Rhett, every hour of every day steadily creeping by, he started getting worse. 

His mind was always going, never shutting up, never taking a break, never giving him a moment of peace as he was dragged deeper by the chains of psychosis. A cacophony of volatile voices, grandiose delusions, and violent thoughts splintered in his mind, creating a sensation much like his brain being split in half. 

It was the screaming in his ears, the deadly energy behind his eyes, that left a promise of destruction tinted with desire—the bloodlust hidden deep within, pulsing through his veins. Everywhere Link went, the stench of disgust fermented in the air, rotting like a dead animal, coiling deep inside his body.

When the nightmares first began to haunt Link, taunting him wherever he went, he would plead with them, seeking forgiveness from his perdition and beg them to be quiet, to give him peace. 

He would sob until his voice was broken and hoarse, desperate for the cruel voices to quiet down inside his head. It didn’t matter though; no matter how much he pleaded and cried they would not leave. They would not grant him forgiveness for his immorality. It was just him, alone with a broken symphony of voices that nobody else could hear, and he knew there was no use. It began to fracture him piece by piece. 

His psyche had shattered, breaking apart like trails of raindrops splitting on a window. He no longer slept, instead staying wide awake for days at a time as he silently tortured himself in his mind, wanting to claw his ears off and bash his head in. He would try to smother himself until the voices stopped just enough for him to calm down, or he would black out from sleep deprivation.

He didn’t know how this happened. He was so well put together when he first came here. In his right mind, he was all-powerful, even omnipotent, as he would describe. Once so calculated and meticulous in his own hands, now completely broken down in every way possible. 

Dr. Beck didn’t listen, neither did the nurses, no one did. No matter how many times he told them about the true extent of his issues, he only received false hope from those placid voices. He was told it would take time for his medication to work, even as the months had passed by, but he knew that a pill would never change the meaning behind his words of voice and the truth he spoke like gospel. She would later remind him that there may be potential negative side effects of the medication he started taking when he first got here, but she assured him it would get better. 

It wasn’t.

Rhett tried his best to help Link in the ways the doctors couldn’t; he really did. At first, he didn’t want Link apart from him. Rhett felt guilty, almost obligated to be there for him, but there was only so much Rhett could do for him while he was running himself into the ground. 

The events leading up to this Rhett could remember quite vividly, noticing fairly early on how Link’s mental health was deteriorating. 

He remembered how upset Link had become when they confiscated his razor; it was his favorite toy, after all. Though he should have expected it. Even with an oblivious group of staff members working at the hospital, getting any sharp objects past them for more than a few days was nearly impossible. 

It all happened so quickly. Rhett came back to his room a few days following that, after another therapy session, and was welcomed by the sound of the bathroom sink dripping and faint whines, small cries of distress before he stepped into the familiar setting. As he stepped forward into the room, he heard a strange mumbling between cracking sobs, incoherent other than the faint pleads of “I’m sorry” and “please”. He cautiously pushed the bathroom door open; the blood sank out of his face when he found what lay before him. 

Link was rocking back and forth in the corner, legs brought to his chest protectively. Tears streamed down his flushed cheeks; his wrists were scratched raw from his broken nails and small trickles of crimson flowed from the smooth flesh and stained his thighs. His legs ached and lungs burned.

When Rhett was met with that horrifying sight, he immediately wrapped himself around Link’s trembling figure. 

He kneeled down and held Link in his arms, wiping up the tiny rivulets of blood with the sleeve of his shirt, attempting to calm Link’s heaving breath. 

“I’m sorry, Rhett. I didn’t mean to. They told me to do it.” Link mumbled strings of slurred words. He looked up at Rhett, lashes brimmed heavily with tears.

“Who told you to do this?”

“Can’t you hear them? It’s all I hear, all around me. I don’t know where they came from or who they are. I’m sorry! They won’t leave me alone!” Link’s voice cracked, choking on another heaving sob.

“What are you talking about? Please tell what you mean. I just want to help you, Link.” 

“They tell me to listen to them, that they know what’s good for me. They tell me they love me and that they have my entire life.” He paused. “But they keep telling me I’m worthless, lazy, manipulative, and selfish. Over and over and over. They won’t stop. I can’t handle this anymore. They scream at me because I won’t listen. Please make it stop, Rhett.” Link pleaded with incoherent nonsense, clenching his hands into fists onto Rhett’s shirt as he sobbed quietly. 

That was the first time Rhett had seen Link truly broken down, and it only got worse from there. 

There were moments when Rhett would have to help Link with even the simplest of tasks like walking, talking, and eating, because, yes, Link really had gotten that bad. There were times where it was as if Rhett was taking care of a child because Link became practically non-verbal, barely functioning as he stared off into the white nothingness that made up the hospital walls, with a dead expression plastered permanently across his face. 

There were only so many days Rhett could force himself awake to coddle Link through his meltdowns or console a sobbing Link when he woke up from his nightmares, risking getting caught together in the middle of the night. As if others weren’t already suspicious of them enough. 

Rhett was tired. So tired. 

It was nowhere near Link’s fault though, at least that’s what Rhett would tell himself. A combination of bad medication, an improper diagnosis, and an already burdening and volatile mental illness meant nothing but self-destruction for Link. For himself, for Rhett and their relationship, and for everyone around him who would soon feel his lament. 

Though Rhett cared for Link in ways he couldn’t quite explain and wanted nothing more than to be there for him, to help him, Rhett was starting to lose his own mind. It was eating away at him, cracking away at his own psyche with each passing day. 

Their relationship was deteriorating just as quickly as it had begun, though neither were truly aware just how volatile it was becoming. 

Rhett had unleashed a demon, broken free from its chains in Hell. It tried to crawl out from Link’s brain like a feral animal, created voices that cut deep like a knife and dripped off the tip of his wicked tongue. 

This was the very reason Link chose not to get close to others, because when he did, it finally brought forth his destructive retribution. He had Rhett trapped now, feeding him his poisoned love. He was going to hurt Rhett sooner if not later, or anyone that got in his way, for that matter; he couldn’t control himself anymore. Like a man possessed, he was spiraling out of control.

And Link knew that Rhett was going to pay for that. 

Link didn’t want any of that for Rhett, though. Every fiber of his being battled within himself, creating a tormenting ache in his heart—one that stung like fire, much like the tears that flooded his eyes each night. As much as he hated admitting to it, he cared for Rhett in some ways. He cared for the man more than he had ever cared about anyone else in his life. 

Just not enough to put Rhett first. 

Link only hoped Rhett would realize there was someone out there for him, people who could show him the kindness he truly deserved and provide the proper care and love unconditionally to Rhett, in all the ways he couldn’t. 

But he didn’t. 

Rhett truly was a kind soul, a bleeding heart, and so incredibly naive.

And it would be his downfall. 

It wasn’t all bad, though. On rare occasions, there were days when the voices quieted down to a hush, and the fear ceased its flow through Link’s veins, and Link would be reminded of the familiar calm of previous times. 

In the rare moments when Link did feel better, they would fall asleep next to each other at night, warm skin pulled tightly into an embrace as two tried desperately to become one. Rhett would kiss Link gently, as if Link were made of glass, threatening to shatter at any moment. Rhett’s smiling face and unkempt facial hair would prickle softly against Link’s lips, and they would laugh playfully through the sweet embrace. 

Rhett would remind him in every waking moment just how much he loved him. He would tell Link how much he cared about him, how he believed in him and how it would get better, how he would get better soon. He would insist that he was trying his hardest to help Link, but that it wasn’t Link’s fault he was like this, and Link would just nod in agreement as if he understood him. 

But in reality, nobody understood him. 

What they had together was not love, no matter how much they tried to convince themselves otherwise. It was an addiction, a codependency, all-consuming, painful like a kiss from a black mamba. 

As the weeks crept on by, Link came to many realizations. He came to realize even in the most passionate of moments, he would never, ever be happy. He told himself he was with Rhett, which was true to some extent. But in any other instance in his contemptible existence, he would never feel true joy. He was still the same bitter, hateful man he was before he had met Rhett, just in a much more unstable mindset than he was prior. 

Link still hated those around him relentlessly so. The scathing animosity that surrounded him, dripping off his skin in waves of heat, seemed to envelop his throat and choke him out with invisible chains. 

He still wanted nothing more than to control those around him like the pathetic creatures they were, doing as he so pleased if it meant getting his own way. They were beneath him anyway, so what did it matter? And he continued proving that through dictating each action of his daily life, dragging Rhett down along with him. 

And now, he could feel that darkness, that demon that lay dormant inside of him, everywhere he went. It swam through the shadows, drowning him along with it, melting into the depths of his brain like a mirage. It was waiting to be freed. Torturing him relentlessly by waiting, leaving him feeling tired and angry. 

He was exhausted. He needed peace. He needed silence. 

Of course, that didn’t seem to be in the cards for him anymore. 

So he finally snapped. 

Eventually, it got to the point where Link had begun threatening other patients, becoming violent with the orderlies who were just as aggressive, if not more, in return. He had this twisted desire to prove to those around him that he was this powerful and authoritative man that he seemed to portray so perfectly, and all Rhett could manage to do was cower behind Link’s shadows. 

Rhett knew Link’s colors from the start; it was too late to regret being with him. Even when Rhett had his doubts, Link had the power to mold and manipulate people with just words, which seemed to work perfectly with Rhett’s naiveté. 

Although his mind was a mess, split apart at its seams, he still managed to convince Rhett to stay by his side. He convinced Rhett he was the only person he would ever need, the only one who would ever understand him. Link was the only person to ever show him even an ounce of kindness in his burdened life and now? Now, Rhett couldn’t even function without him. 

Link promised that he would take care of him, that he would always be there by his side, even if that meant next to a bloodied corpse of his lover rather than a living being. That didn’t matter to Link, though; he knew what was best for Rhett, just like the voices told him so.

And as usual, Rhett did not heed these warnings, finding out the hard way just what it meant to feel Link’s wrath.  


* * *

Their room was painfully familiar, as was the situation Link found himself in nearly every night. He sat at the edge of his bed, feet dangling on the ground, staring off into the emptiness of the barren, white hospital walls. He gazed across at the sleeping figure next to him, knowing fairly well he should be next to Rhett, sleeping peacefully into his warm embrace. 

But he couldn’t do it, not tonight. It had probably been four, nearly five days since he had slept and he was beginning to feel its effects. He was high strung, his skin prickled like static, and his eyes were ripped wide open, manic, searching around for absolutely nothing. 

The silence in the room was relentless, sending phantom chills up his spine and wrapping around his neck like a vice, tight enough to suffocate. This emptiness, combined with the loud static that rattled inside his head, created a cataclysm much like a hurricane tearing through him with fierce energy. 

If Link were smarter, or saner, he would have been in bed asleep by now. But, smart or sane were not words that applied to Link very often. 

He felt like testing some limits tonight, having a little bit of fun. He was losing his mind anyway; what did it matter anymore? Rhett was his little playtoy after all. So weak and defenseless while he slept and a heavy sleeper at that. Link knew that would come to his advantage eventually as his puppet was ready to be pulled by its strings.

Pacing his way over to the opposite side of the room, Link crawled across Rhett’s bed, stalking forward like an animal ready to attack. He steadied his body against his forearms to balance himself on top of Rhett without pushing any weight against him. Link towered over Rhett’s sleeping figure, hunching his broad shoulders forward as a much-too-familiar rush of power flooded into his veins. 

There was something about being in this position that exhilarated Link, though he couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was exactly. 

Maybe it was the fact that Rhett, who far exceeded Link in size, allowed Link to control him. Link was given the power to dominate a man much larger than himself and put him into submission as he desired. Rhett was Link’s obedient pet after all, and Link made sure to remind of that quite often. 

Link considered the possibility of being interested in sadism for some time, more so now that he felt powerless in his own life. He hated that he felt out of control of his own being, so it turned him into a man desperate and greedy for power, making up for his own loss of self-control. 

But maybe it wasn’t the aspect of dominance that particularly interested him, but rather that a vulnerable man like Rhett willingly giving himself over to him, as if he belonged to Link—both in body and mind. He already had power over everyone else he had ever met in his life, but when it came to meeting someone as sexually submissive as Rhett, it created a much different feeling for him.

The idea that Rhett would leave himself so vulnerable for Link, allowing him to do as he pleased, inflicting pain and fomenting humiliation, only sparked Link’s interests more. It was thrilling, seeing someone so broken down, submitting to his feet like an animal. 

It was just what Link craved in his broken-down life, both physically and mentally. 

Link also knew that if Rhett really wanted to, he could try to overpower him at any time. But he didn’t, and why was that? Because Rhett was weak, a defenseless mutt that Link had trained so perfectly. 

It showed in the look of pure ecstasy drawn across Rhett’s face as Link took his willing body each and every night. Rhett was always so reactive; he held nothing back and was so deep into whatever sensations of pleasure he experienced. His pupils would blow wide, eyes glazed like he was strung out on amphetamines, and his tongue lay flat, panting and moaning like an animal in heat.

Rhett was such a good boy, even better when he was broken.

Link inhaled deeply, letting the air flood into his lungs. His eyes flicked shut, and a growl, rough like liquor, ripped from his chest. His hair veiled over his face, and one of his large hands found its way to Rhett’s wrists, easing both of them above the taller man’s head. 

Rhett sure was a heavy sleeper. 

Leaning forward a bit more, Link pressed his nose gently against the side of Rhett’s neck, inhaling the intoxicatingly familiar scent of his skin. The grip against Rhett’s wrists released, and a single hand trailed delicately down Rhett’s waist, just past his stomach. 

The other hand ghosted over Rhett’s neck, tempted to push down against the warm flesh encased over fragile bones. That was when Link was reminded where that power came from. 

It wasn’t about dominating a bigger man; this wasn’t the first time he had experience with that. It was the fact that he had Rhett’s life in his hands at all times. He could easily wrap his hand around Rhett’s throat whenever he felt like it, crushing his windpipe, and Rhett couldn’t do a single thing about it. The temptation was almost too much, only enticing him further to succumb to his sadistic desires.

His hand tightened its grip on Rhett’s throat, promptly cutting his air supply off, to which Link reacted with a callous smile, and his manic eyes flickering open.

A collar of bruises formed on Rhett’s neck around the indents of Link’s fingers, with jagged nails nearly piercing the skin. He was fairly surprised that Rhett still hadn’t woken up, half anticipating he had already done some type of damage by the various shades of red Rhett’s face was turning. 

So close. Any moment now. 

Link expected Rhett’s body to give out at any time, but he was suddenly interrupted by a noise, reminiscent of a scream. It was loud enough to nearly knock him down from the bed and snap his head back up belatedly. 

Once he seized his strangling grip from Rhett’s throat, he searched his bright eyes around the room, scanning around to see what was there, or rather, what wasn’t. 

Link slid his hands underneath his glasses, rubbing his eyes as if it would actually help anything. He tried to ground himself to his surroundings and brush off the strange but familiar feeling he was experiencing, as if he was being watched. 

His eyes returned back to the sleeping figure below him, bringing his now trembling hands back up to Rhett’s neck, trying to finish what he had started.

Another noise came, another scream, this time frightening him enough to cause him to fall over from the bed, slamming his head hard against the ground. 

His glasses clattered against the floor, and the lenses cracked and crunched underneath the weight of the fall when he came into contact with them. The panic began to set in as Link searched around the room for the shattered pieces. His hands padded across the floor, grabbing at the broken slivers of glass that cut into his skin. He set his glasses back on his face, and although his vision had become obstructed, blood smeared across the broken pieces, he couldn’t bring himself to care about that at that moment. 

The static in his head quickly faded into discord, replaced instead by a combination of deafening screams and disjointed voices. 

He was crying now. What a fucking mess he was. In a deep-set panic, hair disheveled and pulled apart in every direction, lashes thick with hot tears behind the shattered lenses of his glasses. 

Why did this have to happen right now?

Crawling on all fours, Link made his way over to the bathroom, switching the light on and flicking his eyes up to the mirror. He ran the faucet water, quickly moving his hands underneath the streaming flow and splashing it against his face. Unfortunately, that only seemed to make matters worse. 

The voices grew in volume, empty white noise filling his brain, and a chorus of laughs erupted inside, as if they were taunting him, belittling him like a child. It felt as though the floor was caving in on itself, dragging him down with it and forcing him down to his knees. 

“Shut up! I can’t think! Please just leave me alone!” Link cried out, clasping his hands over his ears to shut out the sound. He tried to fight through the weight that chained him to the ground, anchoring his wrists against the bathroom counter, and he pulled himself back up. 

“It’s okay. You’re okay. None of this is real, Link. You know this.” Link recited to himself like a prayer. 

But, it all felt too real. Especially when he brought his eyes back up to mirror and was met not with his reflection, but with what appeared to be a shadowy figure, one reminiscent of a demon, that stood tall behind the glass, causing Link to jump back in reaction.

It all happened so quickly. Large hands reached out from the mirror and hooked behind Link’s head, bashing it hard against the mirror, over and over again. 

In reality, there was nothing actually there, it was just Link repeatedly slamming his head against the glass surface until his forehead began to split open. 

That much was enough to finally wake Rhett up, who had apparently been calling Link’s name the entire time. Link felt strong arms wrapping around his waist, squeezing at his ribs just tight enough knock the air from his lungs and pull him not only out of his drawn-out daze, but also directly out of the bathroom. 

“What are you doing?” Link practically yelled at Rhett as he was dragged out of the room, kicking and struggling through Rhett’s tight hold before he was set down on the floor.

“You need to be quiet. Please! You’re not acting right… and… and you’re bleeding right now. Oh my god,” Rhett sounded genuinely worried, which Link didn’t seem to comprehend. Rhett pulled the blanket from his bed, using it to clean the fresh wound on Link’s forehead, then the dried blood on his hands and glasses. 

“Get away from me,” Link snapped as he shoved Rhett off him, making his back hit the ground. Link bit down on his own lip hard enough to draw blood as his anger permeated the situation, and the feeling of violence coiled deep inside his bones. 

“What? What did I do wrong?” Rhett sounded crushed as a broken expression crept across his face. He crawled back over to Link and pulled him back into his arms, sliding his hands to the back of the shorter man’s neck, which again, Link did not take too kindly to. 

Link was much too overwhelmed to deal with anyone right now, especially Rhett, what with all the sensations that wracked through his body, bombarding him with stimuli. If Rhett knew what was good for him, he would have shut up by now and gone back to sleep. 

But that was Rhett’s problem. He rarely ever thought. 

“If you would pull your head out of your ass for once, you would have listened to me the first time. Leave me alone, or I will hurt you,” Link drawled as he tried to free himself from Rhett’s firm grip. But Rhett was unyielding in his movements, so Link took a step further. 

Rhett felt it long before it happened that Link had lunged his shoulders back, and Link’s forehead was headed straight toward his own, slamming hard enough to unsettle his entire equilibrium and knock him to the ground again. 

“Listen to me, you mutt. Go back to bed,” Link spat, wiping the rest of the blood from his forehead with the back of his hand.

“Stop it, Link. This isn’t helping anything.” Rhett could begin to feel the anger boiling deep inside of his chest. Both men stood back on to their feet, and Link continued to belittle him, but Rhett did not answer to any of it. 

All he could feel was a poignant sensation of disgust rising in his body. Link’s words didn’t reach him, didn’t touch him as they become repetitive, meaningless voices. That was, until Link spat something out that caused Rhett to finally snap.

“Are you going to listen to me or are you going to keep on acting like the useless little bitch you are? Huh? Fucking idiot, I’m talking to you here!”

Before Link could even wait for a response, Rhett’s fist came into harsh, angry contact with the side of Link’s face, nearly knocking him to his knees. It gave way to an intense, splitting pain in his jaw, and a throbbing sensation that seemed to travel throughout Link’s skull, loosening his front teeth. Link knew he should have stopped while he was ahead, but this was all becoming too much fun for him.

A thick coating of crimson covered Link’s teeth as he flashed Rhett a wicked smile, unmindful of the bloody drool that dripped down his lips and chin. 

“You really shouldn’t have done that.” Link drawled out in a low tone. 

In Link’s head, he began to drop all of his mental hurdles, and all he knew to do then was to attack the man that stood in front of him. White hot energy needled against his skin, boiling in his blood like hellfire. 

Slamming Rhett against the wall was no easy feat for Link, what with how resistant Rhett was being. But, he managed it fairly well when he promptly cut off Rhett’s air flow with the tightest grip to his throat he could manage, slamming him hard against the nearest wall. 

Rhett struggled, trying desperately to pry Link’s hand from his neck but there truly wasn’t any use. When Link was determined to accomplish something, absolutely nothing would get in his way. And right now, all Link wanted was to crush each and every bone in Rhett’s neck, and nothing would stop him from doing so. Rhett’s body jerked painfully a few times, and his vision went grey around the edges as he streamed in and out of consciousness.

“This is just too much fun. I’m going to drag this out and make you suffer for as long as I can. Gonna leave you broken and bruised. You look so much better that way,” Link grit his teeth together, placing his other free hand against Rhett’s neck, pushing his body weight against his wrists to apply more pressure into his grip, and locked them both into place. 

As Rhett began gasping for air, his face transitioned between different shades of red and purple, and streams of scarlet dripped from his lips as he began coughing up blood, mostly caused by the blunt force of the chokehold. The specks of blood stained against Link’s face as Rhett hacked up the remnants that ripped from his throat.

Even though Link wasn’t actually planning to kill him, Rhett could still tell where Link’s intentions lied. Link wanted to hurt Rhett, inflict as much pain to him as possible, and that was something Rhett didn’t want to look forward to. So he had to think on his feet, and fast.

In an act to appease Link, Rhett decided to play possum, sliding his eyes shut as if he was falling unconscious, and forced his knees to buckle down, heading down toward the ground. Link kept his grip to Rhett’s throat for only a few more moments before he allowed for Rhett’s body to go slack against the floor.

Link reached down, heaving the entirety of his lungs across Rhett’s face, and placed a shaky hand on Rhett’s cheek. He searched the features of Rhett’s face, taking in the sight of all of the damage he had delivered to his lover. 

There was blood. So much blood. Red spittle dripping from Rhett’s half-open lips, blood trickling down his own, and even more stained on his hands and clothing. The entirety of Rhett’s neck was covered in bruises; purple-tinged splotches splayed across his skin. 

To Link, it was just another beautiful masterpiece caused by his own hands. 

“I’m sorry I had to do this to you, Rhett. You really need to learn to listen to me better,” Link paused for a moment, still trying to catch his breath.

“I love you; you know this. Be a good boy for me, and this won’t happen again.” Rhett didn’t have to open his eyes to know that Link probably had that sick, twisted smile he got on his face after going into that fucked up headspace of his.

What Rhett didn’t expect was for Link to reach down and lick up the traces of blood painted on his lips. Link savored the bitter taste that touched the tip of his devilish tongue and forced Rhett's lips against his own in a heavy and harsh embrace. He grabbed Rhett’s face with his left hand and brought it closer to his own as he pushed his tongue into the heat of Rhett’s mouth, grazing it across his teeth to lap up the last drops of blood-tinged spit that tried to escape past his lips.

As soon as Link pulled away from the kiss and stood back on his feet, Rhett’s eyes ripped wide open. He watched as Link’s towering figure, now facing away from him, stepped back toward his own bed.

Rhett only had moments to act, moments to think about how to dial back this entire situation. He followed behind Link, placing a trembling hand against the wall to steady himself back to his feet, and lunged forward and pounced on Link. Rhett locked Link’s neck against his forearm, applying an ample amount of pressure to Link's trachea, and placed his other hand on the crook of his elbow to effectively place Link into a backward chokehold. He knew to use a much more practical technique than Link had used previously—one he had learned through years of being restrained.

Link struggled for only a few moments, trying to scream, but no sound seemed to come out. His legs began to sag and give out, and he collapsed in seconds, falling backward and unmoving against Rhett’s chest. Rhett dragged Link’s unconscious body toward the bed and placed him gently on the mattress, easing his head toward the pillow. He tried his best to handle Link with care; it was likely he had a concussion of some sorts, considering how hard he hit his head against the mirror earlier. 

Even in a moment like this, even after what Link had just done to him, Rhett didn’t want to hurt him again. Link loved him after all, right? Link knew just what he needed to make him happy, and he was only trying to help him be a good boy, right? He wouldn’t ever hurt Rhett unless he was trying to teach him a lesson.

At least, that’s what Rhett would tell himself.

Maybe this was all one huge mistake, and Rhett was starting to see that for himself.

Rhett sat next to Link, running his bloodied fingers through Link’s disheveled hair. Red on grey seemed to combine perfectly as his bruised hands carded through the silvery tresses that swept across Link’s head.

He couldn’t sleep that night, too much anxious energy seemed to permeate in the air. 

Rhett wanted time to slow down to a crawl, didn’t want the morning to come once more, because he knew in his heart, there would be absolutely no way to explain this to anyone.

* * *

Just as Rhett predicted, they ended up right in the middle of Dr. Beck’s office as soon as the nurses found them in their room that morning. Out of everyone, she seemed to be the most disappointed about the entire situation. She truly believed that putting them together would be helpful, especially to Rhett’s mental health, and it was for a short while. 

But clearly, she couldn’t have been more wrong. So, she considered the possibility of solitude. Some time apart, which Link didn’t seem to take too kindly to.

“Rhett, I need you to be honest with me, please. Did Link hit you?” She questioned. It was as if she was interrogating the both of them.

Now that Rhett thought about it, Link was the one who hit him first when he headbutted him, but it was, in fact, Rhett who threw the first punch to Link after he had pushed him past the edge.

Link gazed over at Rhett with a look so intense, it sent a shiver straight down his spine. He looked like he wanted to kill Rhett then, and maybe that was what he was planning to do. Link’s glassy, cerulean eyes sat perfectly behind a now-replaced pair of night glasses and seemed to bore into Rhett with every intense look he gave. Rhett nearly lost himself in them again, becoming inundated with emotions. All Rhett could see was the pain, anger, suffering, hatred, and resentment that reflected so vividly behind those eyes of his, so many deep-seated emotions that burned with an intensity into his soul. 

“Answer me, Rhett.” Dr. Beck demanded sternly. 

The panic began to settle in.

“Yes... yes, he did hit me. He choked me, too. If I’m being honest, I thought I was going to die,” Rhett managed to get out, voice still hoarse and broken. That was partially true, except for the fact he left out the part where he had punched Link and nearly broke his neck in that chokehold. 

He gazed back over at Link and saw a solemn and betrayed look swimming about in his eyes, augmented by the thick lenses of the black spectacles. Those bloodshot, glassy orbs held a truth that his face could no longer hide.

“Are you serious right now?” Link spat, feeling the heat begin to rise in his face.

“Link, please calm down. I think it would be the best for the both of you if we separate you two for a while. Whatever is going on here obviously isn’t healthy for either of you.”

Those words seemed to tear through Link like a blade, and he tried to resist the urge to act out. They were going to put him away. They were going to put him away and make sure he never saw Rhett again. But they couldn’t do that to him, they just couldn’t. Rhett and him were supposed to be together, with no end in sight, even if that meant he had to kill him, or anyone that got in his way.

“No, you can’t do this to me. You’re not going to do this. I have nobody else. No, no, no!” Link’s voice began to rise in volume, and his nails dug divots into the armrest of the chair. His voice reverberated throughout the small room, bouncing off the walls, and back into the ears of Rhett and Dr. Beck. 

Rhett wasn’t shocked in the slightest at Link’s reaction; he expected the situation to take a turn for the worst. Except for maybe what happened after that.

“I swear to God, I’ll kill you!” Link screamed as he lunged forward toward Rhett, connecting his fist to Rhett’s mouth, knuckles slamming hard against his lips. Rhett’s head knocked back at the force, splitting his bottom lip wide open.

Within seconds, Link had been restrained by an orderly, who pulled Link’s arms behind his back hard enough to nearly dislocate his shoulders. It all happened so fast, and Rhett didn’t know how to react, still trying to recuperate from the pain that rippled from the point of contact. 

“Get off me!” Link fought back with the orderly and screamed his lungs out. It was bloodcurdling, deafening to Rhett’s ears, and by far the most horrific sound that Rhett had ever heard from Link. 

Link jerked his body violently, trying to free himself from the grip, but it was useless. He slammed his head back hard enough to collide with the large man restraining him, and his screams picked up in volume as he continued on his path of resistance. He didn’t let up; he grew even more violent. 

They eventually sedated Link. It was a rare occurrence for a patient to become so violent and hostile that they had to had to be tranquilized with a Thorazine shot. As soon as the needle hit his skin, the medication immediately dispersed throughout his bloodstream. Rhett had only seen this happen a handful of times, and the fact that it was Link this time around was almost traumatizing for him. 

The drug flowed through Link’s blood, and his eyes glazed over with a familiar hardness before sliding shut. A trickle of tears fell from his eyelids, as though they were trying to escape from the immense amount of pain he was feeling at that moment.

Rhett was escorted back to his room shortly after that horrific display of a meltdown, and a part of him actually felt bad that he was the cause of all of this. He knew it would be a very long time before he would see Link again, if ever. Those drugs were strong and could keep someone under for more than thirty-six hours at the least. 

Of course, he felt bad, but he also felt relieved. Spending time in solitude, the once familiar setting of his life, was what he needed right now. Rhett would wrack his brains half the time trying to help Link, and it was driving him insane. It was no wonder he snapped so easily the night before.

The days following that ordeal, Rhett spent alone, experiencing a calm he hadn’t felt in such a long time, as if a heavy burden had been finally lifted from his chest. 

But, he couldn’t seem to shake off the strange feeling that seemed to follow him around everywhere. No matter where he went, he could still feel Link’s presence. Watching over him, surrounding him with caring hands like invisible wires. Threads were woven around to carry and cradle Rhett, working in tandem in the darkness.

Even in his absence, Link was still pulling Rhett along by his strings like a puppet master. 

Everything was the same as before. Link still had complete control over Rhett, still had him indoctrinated like the weak, naive man he was. This was why Link always chose the broken ones to claim as his own. Because they would become addicted to him, crave him like a drug, and much like a user would, go through withdrawals.

It didn’t take long for Rhett to miss Link’s presence, the warmth of his touch, the taste of his tongue against his own, the way Link would look at him as if he were the only person to exist in a sea of others. 

Luckily for Rhett, he wouldn’t have to wait much longer to earn his comeuppance. 

* * *

Rhett didn’t have difficulty sleeping while Link was gone; in fact, it was the first time in a long while that he had gotten restful sleep. 

He certainly didn’t have any trouble, that was, until that night, nearly a week after Link's disappearance. 

A storm brewed outside late into the evening, and the wind howled and tore through branches, whirling around like a behemoth in the air. The rain slammed heavy against the roof of the building, forming a deluge just outside of his room. It created a cacophony that rattled and reverberated against the walls and the window. 

It was unbearably loud. The lightning whip cracked through the sky, creating sparks and streams that traveled through the clouds. Every time Rhett would try to drift off to sleep, a clap of thunder roared in the sky and woke him back up. 

Sometime later into the night, Rhett began to hear strange noises in his room. Not just the wind that whipped through the air, or the rattling of the rain against the windowsill, but rather strange rustling noises that echoed in the air. It was much too dark to make out anything, and the cracks of lightning only provided a temporary source of light for Rhett. 

He tried to convince himself that a mouse must've made its way into his room, citing that as the cause of the strange noises, but he couldn’t have been more wrong in his assumptions. 

Rhett couldn’t shake off the eerily foreboding feeling anymore that he was being watched, observed from afar. It felt like something out of a horror movie. 

The panic started as a cluster of knots in his stomach, and the tension in his body rose as his limbs went completely rigid. 

Maybe it would make him feel better if he just took a look around the room, and take a quick glance in the bathroom. 

Surely there would be nothing, just another empty room. 

Right?

Rhett stepped forward toward the bathroom, slow and steady, as his heart hammered away in his chest. With each small step he took, the fear set in further. Inch by inch, he made his way over toward the dark, empty room until he stopped just outside the doorway. He reached a slow and shaky hand towards the light switch, already hesitant about the decision he had made. Rhett didn’t want to find out what lurked behind the depth of those shadows.

Luckily for him, when the dim lighting filled in the room as he flipped on the light, he was met with the familiar sight of an empty room. He took a quick glance as he stepped inside, eyes scanning each and every corner to make absolutely sure, finally easing his curiosity and fear.

Absolutely nothing in sight, which came as a huge relief. 

He let out a comforted sigh as his heart slowed down from its rapid pace. Now that he realized there was nothing there, that he was probably just hearing noises from the clatter of the rain outside, it helped ease his anxiety a bit.

After a few moments of gaining back his bearings, Rhett finally flicked the switch back off and walked out of the bathroom, sluggishly heading back towards his bed.

Rhett knew he was just being paranoid. 

Or maybe not.

A crack of lightning sparked through the night sky, creating a flash of light that irradiated into Rhett’s room. There was an aftershock of thunder, and suddenly everything went dark. 

Unfortunately, the loud roar of the storm completely muted out the noise of footsteps behind him, the sounds of booted feet clicking against the floor. 

Before Rhett could even manage to register what was happening, he felt a strong arm reach around and hook around his neck, pressing hard against his windpipe. The force of the pull made him cry out in pain as a forearm came into contact with the bruised skin. His movements were halted, resisting the urge to move and make his previous injuries even worse. He was pulled back tightly against someone's chest, and suddenly he was petrified. He severely misstepped and lost his footing, falling back into the stranger’s hold that seemed to grow tighter. 

Rhett screamed until his voice was hoarse, kicking and struggling in the choking grip, but his voice of fear and resistance was completely drowned out by the wind that whirled and whipped outside his window.

A hand ghosted up his neck and past his jaw, clasping his mouth to mute his cries of desperation. A cold, sharp blade was pressed to his throat, not hard enough to cut into him, but hard enough for him to know of its presence. 

“Shut the fuck up.” A low voice bellowed in his ears, a husky and guttural tone that sent shivers down his spine and through his bones. Rhett realized instantly just who that voice belonged to.

“Link?”

No response. Only a harsh and raspy laugh that made Rhett’s fear grow tenfold and anxiety lick against his skin with no sign of relief.

Suddenly, Rhett was shoved to the floor, chest colliding hard on impact when he met the ground. His ribcage slammed against the surface, knocking the air straight from his lungs, making him sputter and choke. He was pulled by his feet, flipped on to his back in a harsh movement, and was met with the towering figure that stood tall in front of him, horrified by the image that was brought to his eye.

It was definitely Link; there was no doubt about that. But everything was different. His clothes, his hair, everything. He wasn’t in those plainly-colored hospital scrubs anymore, but rather a solid black button down that clung tightly to his figure, sleeves rolled up just past his elbows, a tight pair of dark jeans, and leather boots. Typical civilian clothing. 

His jaw was thickly covered with salt and pepper stubble. Even his hair looked so much more different, styled and slicked upward with a light pomade. 

Rhett took in the rest of Link’s features, a bloody knife he held tightly in his right hand, the splatters of blood that dripped from his arms, down to his wrists, and more specks of scarlet that had splashed against his face and his glasses. Link looked demented, and his eyes portrayed a sadistic and depraved aura unlike any Rhett had ever seen before. It was single-handedly one of the most frightening images Rhett had ever seen in his life. Rhett couldn’t move anymore; his flight-or-flight response kicked in, and his arms and legs locked up effectively. 

It couldn’t have come at a worse time for him.

“What the hell is going on? How did you get here? Why are you dressed like that? And why are you covered in blood?” Rhett threw an onslaught of questions at Link, none of which Link felt the desire to answer.

“Did I not tell you to shut up? Or am I gonna have to shut you up myself?” Link snapped back, lifting up the knife he held in his hand and pointing the tip of the blade towards Rhett.

Rhett silently obeyed his command, cowering beneath Link’s feet.

“Good boy.” Link grinned wickedly and began walking toward Rhett. He climbed on top of Rhett, forcing him on to his back completely. Link straddled Rhett’s hips and grinded himself against his pelvis in an effort to restrain him.

“Now, Rhett,” He stopped for a moment, pressing the sharp edge of the blade against Rhett’s throat. “I’m sure you know why I’m here right now, and why I’m so disappointed with you.” 

Rhett didn’t reply, too horrified by the chilling touch of the knife pressed hard against his neck.

“You tried to get rid of me. After everything I’ve done for you? So selfish,” He stopped for a moment, feeling his blood begin to boil with disgust. “I was always there for you, Rhett. My heart beats for you, and you took advantage of that. You betrayed me, cut me wide open until I wouldn’t stop bleeding. But I’m over my grief now. I know where your intentions lie,” Link took a moment to ruminate on his own thoughts before speaking, but he was interrupted once more by Rhett.

“That’s not true at all! You know I care-” Rhett was cut off by a hard slap to the side of the face, making his head jerk to the right. Link pressed the blade deeper into Rhett’s neck, so close to breaking the skin.

“Rhett, you know I love you, right?" 

No reply.

"You’re not going to leave me, ever. I’ll make you promise not to. And if you betray me like that again, there will be consequences. We are so good for each other, I just hope you come to realize that for yourself. I love you, and deep down, no matter what I do to you, you will love me back. If you try to leave again, I’ll make sure to lock you up and keep you away from everyone, forever,” Link drawled out his long speech, lips spreading up into a wide grin.

Rhett still couldn't manage a response, his voice choked up in his throat as he struggled underneath the force of Link’s weight on top of him.

“Now, pretty boy, I think I want to have a little bit of fun with you tonight before I go.”


	8. Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rhett betrays Link and has to learn his lesson.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, another new chapter for you guys! Sorry these are so far and few in between, I've been very busy. But, I'm sure you guys understand. Hope you enjoy. Content warning for knife play, light blood play, physical violence, choking, M/S dynamics, and subtle dubcon elements.

Rhett had expected he would end up in this Hell. He had figured he deserved as much. The very moment of betrayal, he’d felt it coming. Though knowing he would earn his punishment eventually didn’t seem to soften the blow.

His mind became inoperable. He couldn’t think, speak, or move, for the fear had taken control of him entirely, tethered him down with invisible hands that seemed to wrap around his very being with iron chains. 

He couldn’t escape. He couldn’t leave. He was trapped, drowning in the darkness his fearful mind seemed to fabricate. 

And it was such a beautiful sight to Link, to see Rhett cowering underneath him like a poor, defenseless animal as he ran the cool blade against Rhett’s clenched jaw. Such a pitiful man, trembling and shaking from just a simple touch. Link drank in the sight, enjoying each and every moment as he watched Rhett squirm and struggle, unyielding movements underneath his weight, nearly crushing Rhett’s hips as he mounted the larger man. 

Link could practically hear Rhett’s teeth chattering, his labored breathing as he choked on each sawn-off gasp that tore from his lips, his bones shivering underneath his warm skin. Rhett’s pupils were blown wide, becoming inundated with fear that seemed to prick against his skin like needles, filling him with the dread of his impending demise. 

Rhett looked so scared and fragile then, delicate like a flower. It was such a shame Link had to break him down like this. 

Link’s fingers twitched around the handle of his knife, his hands shaking as he resisted the urge to act. He wanted to cut Rhett, dig the blade deep into his bare throat and paint the floor a bloody crimson by his own two hands, but held himself back. He didn’t want to actually kill Rhett, though the thought of it was exhilarating, so much so that it brought a hint of a smile on his devilish lips. 

He knew that at any moment, the knife could slip and stain Rhett’s pale neck a beautiful shade of rosy red. Link was in such bliss - a sick, twisted type of pleasure that he couldn’t replicate in any other situation. 

Link knew he should have felt some type of remorse for enjoying this so much, but he had to put away the guilt otherwise it would get in the way of the enjoyment of it all. He refused to suffer the pain of remorse before providing Rhett his much-deserved punishment. 

As he took a few deep breaths to calm himself, escaping the darker corners of his mind, he suddenly removed the blade pressed against Rhett’s throat and brought it up his belt, looping it underneath the taut leather to hold it in place. 

“What’s wrong, Rhett? Hm? Are you scared?” Link teased in a condescending tone. 

“N-no,” Rhett managed to choke out, lying through his teeth. 

“You should be.”

Without conscious thought, Link moved his free hand just past Rhett’s heaving chest, up to his neck, before wrapping inexorably tight around his bare throat. Rhett’s windpipe gave way so easily under his grip, and Link could practically feel the muscle pushing and bending underneath his fingers. 

Rhett was past the point of being frightened, rather in a full-blown panic attack now, visibly shuddering with his eyes ripped wide open like a deer caught in headlights. His air supply was cut off entirely, and his face began to turn a bright shade of red as the blood flow to his brain ceased. 

He felt so small and pathetic beneath Link’s towering body, knowing there was absolutely nothing he could do to escape this situation without retaliation, and the fearful tears began flooding from his lids, streaming heavily down his face. 

As Link continued to choke Rhett, clenching his open fist around the thick bundle of muscle, he began to grind himself against Rhett’s stomach and could feel the larger man struggle and jerk frantically underneath his weight. Link made sure to apply ample pressure not only to the hand wrapped to Rhett’s throat but also against Rhett’s diaphragm, to push out the last bit of oxygen that remained trapped inside him. 

Link’s body began to react without even meaning to; he swallowed hard, lips parting slightly as he seemed more than pleased with the scene in front of him. 

Rhett belonged to him, so there was nothing wrong in indulging in the strange, sadistic desires he had held back for so long. At least, that’s what he told himself to feel better about having to hurt Rhett like this. 

Low rumbles and moans of pleasure escaped Link’s lips occasionally; he knew it was sick and twisted to get off to this, to feel so much pleasure from watching his lover tremble in fear as he held his life in his hands, but he could no longer help himself. 

Long fingers wrapped tightly around Rhett’s neck, smashing his windpipe, and it only seemed to grow tighter as new bruises began to form over ones previously healed. Link was relentless. 

Rhett began to choke on his own saliva, coughing up the warm spit that trapped itself in his throat. Link could practically feel Rhett’s pulse hammering against the pads of his fingers, and it made a twisted smile, full of teeth, form upon his lips.

Link was merciless, laughing at Rhett's inability to move or respond, and all Rhett could see were his eyes - those evil, inhuman eyes. 

When Rhett’s consciousness slowly began to fade, the real panic set in. He started to claw at Link’s arm with his broken fingernails, desperate for a reprieve as his vision started fading, blotched with the dark and mottled colors of the room and going grey around the edges. Link knew the fun would have to end soon, otherwise, he would bring actual harm to Rhett. 

His fingers were seconds away from breaking Rhett’s neck, bones encased delicately behind the freshly bruised skin of his throat. Link knew he had to restrain himself from proceeding any further, otherwise, that fragile bone below Rhett’s jaw would crunch and crack easily underneath his large hands, puncture Rhett’s windpipe, and kill him in a slow and painful type of way. 

Link didn’t think he could ever bring himself to end Rhett’s life like this; that’s not what any of this was about anyway. This was all a game for Link - it was about inflicting pain on others, watching them cry and plead and cower to their master as they begged for release from the unrelenting torture. 

There was nothing more beautiful to Link than watching Rhett, helpless and desperate for release, pinned down by a man fourty or so pounds lighter than him. Link knew Rhett could overpower him at any time, but he didn’t. He couldn’t. He was much too afraid of Link retaliating. 

Rhett had scratched and clawed at Link’s arms until crescent-shaped dents formed on his skin, marks left on Link that would serve as a reminder. Link loved the way Rhett’s eyes had locked with his, drinking in the sight of his fear and panic, instantly sending him on a power trip. 

There was nothing Link loved more than to be in control, and with each and every look of desperation and terror that showed on Rhett’s face, it only made Link more greedy and desperate for dominance over his submissive. And if he didn’t have that power over Rhett, he would feel out of control, and he just couldn’t let that happen.

When Link finally released his grip, Rhett immediately gasped and spluttered as air flooded his lungs, hitting him with a rush of adrenaline. 

Sweat matted Rhett’s thick hair against his forehead, and he squeezed his eyes shut as though he was trying to escape this situation in the primitive corners of his mind. He shook violently as the constricted blood returned its flow through his body and to his brain, making nerve endings shoot off signals in random intervals. 

Link couldn’t help but laugh at Rhett, seeing how frightened he was already, knowing that the night wasn’t even close to being over. The maniacal noise echoed throughout the room and bounced off the walls, but was quickly drowned out by the sounds of lightning cracking in the sky. 

The lightning flashed incandescent light into the room for only a moment, and in a brief lapse of time, Link pulled the knife from his belt and back into full view as the silver of the knife gleamed brightly in the flare of light that filled the empty room. Link looked into the reflection of the blade, smiling as though he was admiring himself. Even in a situation like this, he couldn’t help but succumb to his narcissistic tendencies. 

Though Rhett’s eyes were still closed, his other senses seemed to become heightened, making him pay close attention to each and every noise that echoed inside the small room. He heard only the sound of Link unbuckling his belt, metal clicking against the floor before the rain picked up outside and muted anything else Rhett could have managed to pick up by ear. 

“Open your eyes, boy,” Link demanded, his voice cold and empty and authoritative in tone. Rhett managed to muster up some courage, his eyes flying open and lifting to the scene presented in front of him.

Link had an unrestrained look in his eyes, deranged and demented like an animal ready to feast on its prey, and Rhett was his meal tonight. He held his belt in his left hand, and the knife had been placed on the floor, out of sight. 

His chest heaved, jaw clenched tight as he towered over the larger man beneath him. Link looked so dominant like he was ready to attack at any moment, and it suddenly sparked something in Rhett. 

A surge of lust pooled in Rhett’s bloodstream, tingling through his body and licking at every inch of his warm skin. His face flushed red, blossoming in his cheeks and down his chest. 

This couldn’t have come at a worse time. Rhett couldn’t comprehend feeling any type of excitement from a situation like this, where his life was practically in the hands of someone else - it made him feel about as sick in the head as he was sure Link was. Rhett cursed himself for allowing his submissive instincts to control him like this. He knew he had to get out this situation and fast. 

Unfortunately, it was becoming difficult to control himself anymore. 

Lost in a lustful stupor, Rhett broke his attention away from Link’s gaze, no longer keeping up with any of his movements or actions. 

Before Rhett could even comprehend the movement, Link’s hand swung in the direction of his face, and a loud smack echoed through the room when it came into harsh, angry contact with his right cheek. The pain spread across Rhett’s skin, blotchy patches of red forming where Link’s hand had met his face. 

But it didn’t end there. 

The back of Link’s hand met the left side of Rhett’s face, backhanding him across the cheek hard enough for his head to jerk, and the loud crack of skin meeting skin to reverberate throughout the room. 

“Do you know why I’m doing this to you, Rhett?” Link punctuated every other word with a hard slap to the right side of his face, catching against his cheekbone each time. 

“Huh? Answer me!” Link was practically screaming in Rhett’s face, anger boiling in his blood like fire. But Rhett was far too disoriented and dazed from the pain to care about the harsh noise bellowing into his ears. 

“Y-yes, I’m sorry!” Rhett cried out. Another hard slap on his face, met with so much force the skin began to raise and blister. 

“It’s such a fucking shame I have to discipline you like a child to get you to listen to me.” Link scowled, looking into Rhett’s eyes with disgust. 

Link repeated his movements, over and over, slapping each side of Rhett’s face with a violent force until Rhett was practically a sobbing mess, whimpering and crying from the pain. 

“You’re gonna learn your lesson tonight, boy. I’m gonna make sure of it. Rhett, are you even listening to me?” Link snapped, grabbing a fistful of Rhett’s hair, and forcing their eyes to meet. 

“Y-yes, I am. I’m s-sorry,” Rhett slurred, barely managing to speak when his sobs picked up in volume. 

“Yes, what?”

“Yes, sir,” Rhett hardened his voice, trying to stop the heavy flow of tears. 

“Good boy.”

Link couldn’t help but smile at Rhett’s obedience, a possessive visage reflecting in his expression. He loved watching Rhett fall apart like this, pushing his limits as far as they could go, breaking him down to a crying, begging mess, and reducing him to nothing more than another plaything of his. 

Just another toy to use, to wind up and pull apart as he so pleased. Rhett would submit to his every wish and command like the good boy he was, and there was nothing Link loved more than Rhett’s docility and vulnerability. 

But he didn’t ponder too much on that thought – there were more important matters at hand. 

“Hands above your head,” Link demanded. Rhett obeyed, lifting both hands up just past the crown of his head and bringing his wrists together. His heart pounded inside his chest, tapping away against his ribs, anxiously waiting for Link’s next move. 

Clenching his belt in hand, Link began to wrap it around his fingers a few times until it formed two open loops. He wrapped it around Rhett’s wrists, fastening it as tightly as he could until the buckle was cutting into Rhett’s skin, effectively locking and binding Rhett’s arms together. The metal dug into Rhett’s wrists hard enough to mark divots into his skin, cutting off the circulation to his hands. 

“Beautiful,” Link praised, seating himself a little lower on Rhett’s body, his thighs pressed against Rhett’s crotch. His movements seemed more gentle now, which put Rhett back on edge. He didn’t trust Link even for a second. 

Link traced his fingers against the crook of Rhett’s neck, pressing his knuckles against the dips and hillocks of his collarbones, sending a shiver down Rhett’s spine. The freckled skin was soft and tender, and Link couldn’t seem to hold himself back any longer. 

Before Rhett had time to notice his movements, Link leaned over to his right side, reaching down to the knife that had been set down earlier, and brought it back into Rhett’s view. Rhett flinched as the silver gleamed in front of him, squirming against the belt that bound his wrists together and underneath the weight of Link’s body like a tied-down animal. His heart rate suddenly picked back up, hammering against his sternum. 

Link waved the knife in Rhett’s face, pointing the sharp end just inches away from his nose. Rhett’s eyes widened in fear, shivers chasing down his spine, and suddenly all that lust-filled energy pooling in his body dissipated almost instantly. This whole situation was becoming much less enjoyable for Rhett. 

It seemed as though Link took notice of Rhett’s reactions, though Rhett’s trembling seemed to do nothing but excite Link even more. That wicked tongue darted out from his mouth and licked devilishly against his lips. He stared aimlessly into Rhett’s eyes, pulling at the darkest depths of his soul – searching him, mirroring him. 

With as quick as Link was moving, Rhett couldn’t keep up with him anymore. Link was well-trained in the use of his reflexes, but Rhett had never seen them put to use in this type of situation, which only made him more fearful of what Link was capable of doing. 

Without warning, Link lifted the knife from Rhett’s face and brought it up to his own. He pressed the sharp end against his stubbled chin as though deep in thought, calculating his next move. The blade pressed into Link’s skin hard enough to mark a divot into it, but not enough to break the flesh. 

“Are you going to hurt me?” Rhett’s voice shook almost as much as his body did. 

“Oh, please. Quit being such a little bitch and grow up, Rhett. That’s going to be the least of your worries tonight,” Link replied, his spiteful words stinging like an open wound. Rhett immediately removed himself from the conversation, knowing it was best to keep his mouth shut. 

In a quick but effortless movement, Link hooked the blade underneath the hem of Rhett’s shirt and pulled upward, tearing the fabric straight down the middle until it ripped up to the collar. The shirt sliced into pieces, and Link ripped the rest of the fabric away from Rhett’s body with his free hand, discarding it to the side and exposing Rhett’s bare, heaving chest to the cool air. 

Link pressed his left hand against Rhett’s stomach, feeling the warmth of his skin as he traced his fingers upward toward Rhett’s chest. He smiled, feeling Rhett’s heart pound underneath his palm. 

He moved his free hand out of the way, and lifted the knife with his other to give Rhett a better view of the blade again. Link turned the knife by its handle, curving it to the sharpest point, and slowly traced the tip along Rhett’s throat, following across his collarbones and along the hill of his chest. 

He titled the blade to the side and pressed the cold steel against one of Rhett’s nipples, eliciting a low moan from Rhett’s lips. 

“God, you look so good like this. Bound like an animal. It’s not often I get to play with someone like this, and who knows, I may just end up really going through with this tonight,” Link punctuated the last word by digging the serrated edge of the blade ever-so-slightly against Rhett’s chest, lightly breaking the skin. A small droplet of blood streamed from the wound, slowly dripping down the steel surface of the blade. 

Rhett feared for his life, and rightfully so. He struggled against his leather bindings, forcing his wrists apart as wide as they would go, but there was no use. There was no give, no budge – he was completely trapped. 

In a sickening display, Link brought the blade back up to his mouth and twirled his tongue across the serrated edges, licking Rhett’s blood clean from the metal surface. It made Rhett’s stomach turn and a shiver creep along his spine. 

A low moan escaped from Link’s lips, and Rhett watched as a small stream of bloody saliva dripped from his mouth. Link had intentionally cut himself with the knife, making a small nick on the tip of his tongue, and although it wasn’t deep enough to do any real damage, it was enough to make him bleed a copious amount. 

“Oh, how clumsy of me,” Link laughed childishly, the bloody crimson staining his teeth when he smiled. Shortly after, the knife was tossed out of sight, for the time being, clattering loudly when it hit the floor. 

Link had finally lost it, and Rhett knew if he didn’t find a plan of escape, it would only end in disaster. 

Leaning forward, Link roughly grabbing Rhett’s chin and placed a hard kiss against Rhett’s lips, smearing his blood all over Rhett’s mouth as though marking his territory. Rhett winced at the iron, bitter taste that dripped against his tongue. 

He couldn’t say whether or not he was enjoying this, but it did offer him a chance to take control and escape. With the way Link’s body was bent over, there was much less pressure put on Rhett’s stomach and waist, no strain against him that had previously pinned him to the floor. He knew it would be his only chance. 

Rhett used the brunt of his weight, grunting low from the force of exertion, and lunged his chest forward, bringing Link up with him. It wasn’t an easy feat with the way his arms were bound above his head, but with Link being so much lighter than him, he easily overpowered him. 

His head cracked against Link’s forehead hard enough for the skin to split wide open, and the pain to splinter through both of their skulls. It caused Link to cry out and fall over backward, slamming hard against the ground. 

Shifting his weight onto his heels, Rhett managed to stand back to shaky feet, bringing his bound hands down to his chest to reduce the strain on his back. For added measure, he kicked Link in the ribs to keep him down for a while longer, causing him to tumble over and shudder in agony. He hated having to hurt Link like this, but it was the only choice left in the situation. 

Searching the room, Rhett came to realize there was no means of escape except for the door. They were on the fifth floor, each window blocked with thick, metal bars.

Rhett hooked his teeth against the leather bindings wrapped tightly around his wrists, searching for an opening to pull the belt loose from its buckle. The rain outside seemed to drown out Link’s sobs and whimpers of pain, and also every other noise in the room. 

But the buckle wouldn’t budge. The way Link has fastened the loop made it nearly impossible for him to open without assistance. Rhett continued to struggle against his restraints as Link crawled back to his knees, wiping the blood and tears splayed across his face with the back of his hand and spewing various curses from his lips. 

Rhett took a few deep breaths when finally gave up, eyes scanning over the room, and suddenly ran for the door leading out to the halls of the hospital. 

His shaky legs didn’t seem to travel fast enough though, and Link was already at the door, blocking the exit before Rhett had even made it halfway. 

Rhett severely misstepped, clumsily tripping over his own feet and falling right into Link’s arms. Link didn’t waste a moment in wrapping his hands tightly across Rhett's torso to restrain him, holding him tight in his grip. 

He tried to resist, shoving his bound hands against Link’s arms, but with the way Link had him positioned against the door, his face pressed against the cool surface with the brunt of Link’s weight pushed against his chest, it made it impossible for him to move. 

The pain seemed to spread throughout his body as Rhett’s heart throbbed hard in his chest, and his breathing growing more labored. He opened his mouth to scream for help, but Link interrupted him with a hand pressed roughly to his mouth. 

“If you scream, they will hear us, and they’ll find me and know that I left my room. They will take me away from you, and I can’t have that happening again. Because if they did, I’d have to kill you, and then myself, so that we could die together. And that way, we would never be apart again.” Link had already planned this entire scenario out, with every possible outcome. There truly was no way for Rhett to escape that Link hadn’t prepared himself for. 

Rhett’s eyes traveled across the room to the knife previously discarded on the floor. Without thinking, he jerked free of Link’s grip and made a run for it. Unfortunately for Rhett, Link had already caught up with him before he had even taken a few steps. 

Link grabbed Rhett roughly by the arm, slamming him face-first into the nearest wall, pushing him against the cool surface. His bound hands were smashed painfully against the wall. Rhett let out a small grunt when his cheekbone smashed against the hard wall, mostly in response to Link’s aggressive manhandling. 

“You just don’t know when to stop, do you?” Link whispered into Rhett’s ear, lips pressed gently against the lobe. He seemed to fit perfectly against the curve of Rhett’s spine as he inched in closer, roughly grabbing Rhett’s hips to press his crotch against Rhett’s backside.

“It’s like you get off to the thought of this,” Link paused for a moment, then traced his fingers along the expanse of Rhett’s back until he reached the back of his head, grabbing a fistful of his hair and jerking his head back hard before letting go. “The thought of someone taking advantage of you when you’re completely defenseless. Hm? Do you like this, Rhett?” Link ground his hips against Rhett’s ass, and his breath hitched as he ghosted warm air against Rhett’s ear. A dusty rose-colored spread across Rhett’s cheeks, embarrassed by Link’s implications. 

“It excites you, doesn’t it? You know what I’m capable of doing to you. Yet you always love to test my limits.” 

Link stood on his toes, nosing his way up to Rhett’s right shoulder, and without warning, sunk his teeth into the patch of skin hard enough for the flesh to give way underneath the force of his canines. His teeth pierced the skin, and a small trickle of blood dropped down Rhett’s spine. 

Rhett arched his back in response to the pain, letting out a desperate whimper as he tried to push Link away from him. But there was no budge or give, and Link pressed his weight even further into the curve of Rhett’s spine. 

“Please Link, whatever you’re doing, just s-stop,” Rhett may have sounded resistant, wanting nothing more than to just escape this situation, but his body was telling a completely different story, reacting without his consent and betraying him yet again. All the blood rushed to his head, making him dizzy with lust, then moved downward, making his cock grow harder by the second. 

Link grabbed Rhett by the hip, tugging his lower half out more while pushing him further into the wall with a rough hand between the bridge of his shoulder blades. 

“Oh, what’s wrong, big boy?” Link teased. “Guess you’re all talk. You were so sure of yourself earlier. But you know better than that. You know who is in control here.” 

Link moved the hand gripped on Rhett's hip, snaking them up and around to his torso and toward his chest. He pinched Rhett’s nipple between his fingers and twisted sharply, hard enough to draw a deep moan from Rhett’s lips. The pain made Rhett feel as though he was burning alive, spreading with the intensity of a wildfire. 

For a brief moment, the entire room faded around Rhett, replaced instead by the emptiness of his mind attempting to escape the pain, the force of concussed air in his lungs, and the blushing warmth unfurling across his skin. 

“Do you understand me, Rhett?” 

“Understand what?” Rhett questioned, unable to pull himself out from his daze. 

“That you belong to me. There is no escape. You can scream, cry, and beg all you want. But at the end of the day, you will always be mine,” Link’s voice was low and deep, making Rhett feel weak, his body trembling and whimpering from just a few simple words.

Rhett knew that Link was going to take whatever he wanted from him, and that no amount of resistance would change anything. And even more importantly, Rhett hated how much he wanted this. 

Link grabbed Rhett’s bound arms from his front, jerking him around and swinging his body to face him once more. As soon as their eyes met, Rhett lost himself in every part of Link’s being. 

“You’re mine,” those words were whispered into Rhett’s ear, and like a switch, it finally clicked for him. He did belong to Link, and he finally had to come to terms with that for himself. 

He was Link’s property, his playtoy, his _slave_.

But what did that mean for him? Did he have any choice in the matter anymore?

Gentle hands found their way to Rhett’s wrists, and smooth fingers ran across the leather that bound his arms tightly together. Rhett’s face turned a deep shade of red, flushed with embarrassment. He moved his long legs forward to push Link out of the way, only to feel Link force his knees between Rhett’s legs to spread his thighs further apart. 

Those gentle hands quickly turned rough when they gripped Rhett’s shoulders, shoving him down and pushing him to his knees until he was bowing at Link’s feet. 

“Stop, I don’t want this... no.” Rhett lowered his head and his voice shook through his lies. The blush on his face continued to spread to his chest. He tried to balance himself back to his feet, only to feel a booted foot pressed to his crotch, holding him down. Link leaned forward slightly, hands on Rhett’s shoulders, and shoved him back down to his feet, keeping him in place. 

“Yes,” there was an aggressive tone in Link’s voice that Rhett rarely heard from Link, but it was a familiar one, like a whip crack of lightning roaring in the sky that ripped from his lips. He only ever used it when he was truly angry, which made Rhett’s skin tingle with anxiety and excitement. “You do.” 

Link allowed Rhett to be vulnerable, so he wasn’t sure why he was continuing to be so resistant. The two were compatible not only in body, but in desire as well. Maybe that’s what it was. He knew that Link was unstable, that he could snap at any time just like he had proven time and time again with all the bruises and cuts that decorated Rhett’s skin, left on him as a reminder. The bitter and hostile words used to belittle and dehumanize Rhett left a lasting imprint on his mind.

It was an awful feeling to be so addicted to someone who was so hurtful, so volatile and abusive. But Rhett couldn’t help himself. What little control he had in his life, he gave to Link. Because that was what he needed; to have someone who could help rid the demons inside his head, and the only person who managed to dull that consistent pain was Link. 

Link. His lover, his dominant, his _master_. 

Rhett’s conviction was gone, his shame and resistance slowly bleeding away. 

“I can’t do this,” Rhett tried again, sounding weaker than before as realization began to creep into his thoughts. 

“Yes, you can,” Link’s voice was just as hard as before, his hands still holding Rhett to the ground. He kneeled to meet at eye-level with the taller man seated below him, and cupped Rhett’s chin in his hand.

“No,” Rhett tried a third time, and it was just as futile as before. Link leaned in and pressed a trail of kisses down Rhett’s neck, more gentle than Rhett was expecting from someone so violent and evil. His eyes rolled into his skull, soaking in the pleasure and moaning in ecstasy. 

“Yes,” Link said against Rhett’s skin, sending vibrations throughout his body. “You can. You have been mine since the moment we met,” Link whispered against Rhett’s neck, pressing another line of kisses against the soft patch of skin. Rhett cursed to himself internally, because he knew that it was true. 

Link’s hands found their way to Rhett’s waist, wrapping around him tightly as he lowered his head, moving the trail of kisses downward. Rhett’s body shuddered, trying not to lose himself in the feeling of Link’s lips pulling at his nipples, and the gentle flick of his tongue against the raised skin.

Rhett was lost in himself, too far gone. He couldn’t focus on anything anymore but Link. Everything else around him disappeared.

“Okay,” Rhett spoke out in a breathy whine, voice desperate and filled with desire. He finally gave up his resistance and agreed to Link’s terms. He had become much too weak to fight through this.

Link pulled himself off of Rhett’s chest, finally pleased with his response. He stood back up to his feet, towering over Rhett, and stared down at him through half-lidded eyes. The pounding in Rhett’s ears was almost deafening as he raised his head to meet Link’s eyes, losing himself in the pale blue ocean. They were glassy and void of emotion.

“I want to hear you say it.”

“I belong to you.” Rhett swallowed hard, unsure of what Link wanted from him.

“That is always a beautiful thing to hear coming from you. But no,” Link paused. “You are my slave, and I am your master. You are to address me as such.”

Rhett felt slightly put off by the implications of those terms, but absentmindedly obeyed Link’s command. 

“Master,” the word was simple, and yet it held so much power, all of it which now belonged to Link.

“Good boy.”

Rhett didn’t feel scared anymore. He felt safe there, in Link’s presence, slowly easing the tension he felt, and leaned forward to bow at Link's feet.

Unfortunately for Rhett, that was one of the biggest mistakes he could have possibly made.


End file.
